The Coming Storm
by wildspiritontheloose
Summary: After moons of wandering from place to place, RockClan has finally found what it hopes will be a permanent home. Then, tragedy strikes and a prophecy from StarClan warns of the perils that await should they stay. The future of the Clan is placed in the paws of six young Clan cats that must do everything in their power to save their Clan.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**Leader**

≻ Sparrowstar : sharp-minded tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Deputy**

≻ Beetlewatcher : black tom with yellow eyes; usually calm and collected _Apprentice : Asterpaw_

**Medicine Cat**

≻ Otterheart : playful brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**Medicine Cat Apprentice**

≻ Pebblepaw : small grey tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Warriors**

≻ Beartooth : fluffy brown tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Gentlefern : grey tabby she-cat with green eyes; motherly to all in the Clan

≻ Palethorn : white tom with yellow eyes and a harsh nature

≻ Runningheart : red tabby tom with green eyes; highly competitive _Apprentice : Emberpaw_

≻ Redblaze : fluffy red tabby with green eyes _Apprentice : Starlingpaw_

≻ Mapleblossom : kind dark tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes _Apprentice : Littlepaw_

≻ Morningbreeze : pretty grey tabby with blue eyes

≻ Frostfur : white she-cat with amber eyes _Apprentice : Whitepaw_

≻ Martenfur : flirtatious brown-red tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Leafpelt : brown tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Badgerclaw : strong black and white tom with amber eyes

≻ Silverhawk : silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices**

≻ Emberpaw : fierce dark tortoiseshell with amber eyes

≻ Littlepaw : small white tom with green eyes

≻ Whitepaw : quick white tom with amber eyes

≻ Starlingpaw : black she-cat with yellow eyes; white markings on paws and chest

≻ Asterpaw : light grey and cream she-cat with green eyes

**Queens**

≻ Ripplestream : blue-grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

≻ Dapplefur : pretty calico she-cat with amber eyes

**Kits**

≻ Brightkit : energetic orange and white tom with amber eyes

≻ Skykit : grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

≻ Kestrelkit : small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes; blind

**Elders**

≻ Goldfur : forgetful orange tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Thistleclaw : black tom with blue eyes; old and grouchy

**A Brief History of RockClan**

The Clan's original home was a thickly wooded forest with towering oaks, lush pines and weeping willows. For moons, the Clan had been happy here, carrying out their warrior duties with pride and raising kits to carry on this tradition. Their happiness ended, however, a mere twenty-eight moons ago, when their territory was invaded by Twolegs. The prey, along with the trees, slowly began to disappear and Falconstar, the leader at that time, decided it would be best for the Clan to leave and avoid its inevitable destruction. He renamed the Clan "BrokenClan", as they would be leaving their homeland. Before the Clan could leave for their new home, however, Falconstar was taken by Twolegs. It is believed he was killed by them, as Sparrowstar received all nine lives when she shared tongues with StarClan on the eve of her leader ceremony.

It fell to the young tortoiseshell to lead the Clan to safety. Though she seemed inexperienced, she was wise in her decisions and precise with her actions. Sparrowstar led the Clan to a sandy island, surrounded by water, which would be their new home for only the next two moons. The island was attacked by badgers, killing two cats - Brookfur and Shadefire, the deputy - and BrokenClan was forced out of the territory. For a moon they wandered, searching for a new place to stay, and finally found a new home on the plains.

Here, new kits were born and new apprentices were named, giving hope back to the shaken members of the Clan. Though the territory was different than their old home in the forest, they soon began to adapt to the cold wind and long grass. This home too did not last long. A fire swept through the grasses, turning everything it touched into ash, including the young Darkpaw, the loyal Jayflight and the loving Greywind, who would not leave her dying mate behind.

Forced to flee, Sparrowstar led BrokenClan to the mountains, where they sought shelter in a cave. They were forced out three moons later by a cougar that had once seemingly lived in the cave they sought refuge in. The first cat to be killed by the cougar was Shortwhisker, the medicine cat. Otterheart, his apprentice, blamed herself for his death, as she should have been with him when he was gathering herbs and the cougar attacked. Other victims of the cougar were Mottledstream and Smokeshade, both killed before the Clan decided to move on, as there was no hope of defeating the giant cat. The death of Smokeshade called for a new deputy and Sparrowstar chose the young Beetlewatcher, then having only 40 moons, much to the surprise of the whole Clan. Once more, the Clan wandered for a moon, following the mountain range until it began to turn into hills and, slowly, a rocky canyon.

It was here that Sparrowstar spied a cliff wall with abandoned dens along its face and declared that this would be the new home of BrokenClan. Turning to the remaining Clan members, she proclaimed, "StarClan has guided us here to what is to be our new home! From now on we shall be called RockClan, as we shall not be defeated. We refuse to lose our home again and we will be as immovable as these rocks that make up our new one." Since then, the Clan has begun adapting to their new home. Though cracked pads are common and eating lizards everyday is not quite to everyone's taste, the Clan remains optimistic that this time, they will not be forced out of their home. They will be as immovable as rocks and fight for their new home, no matter the cost.

place ≻ reason for leaving ≻ time frame

forest ≻ Twoleg invasion ≻ departed 28 moons ago

island ≻ badger attack ≻ arrived 26 moons ago, departed 20 moons ago

plains ≻ fire ≻ arrived 19 moons ago, departed 12 moons ago

mountains ≻ cougar ≻ arrived 12 moons ago, departed 9 moons ago

canyon ≻ arrived 8 moons ago


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

Soft footfalls echoed off of the canyon walls as the patrol padded along. The setting sun turned the cliffs around them a vivid orange and the air was just beginning to cool after a day of almost unbearable heat. The patrol stopped by the river that ran through the canyon to hydrate themselves before continuing on their way.

They headed for the south border of their territory, an outcropping from which the rest of the canyon was visible. It provided a good place to admire the sunset, or lookout for intruders. Many of the mentors also brought their apprentices there for battle training, as the walls of the canyon opened up and made it possible to stage practice fights. The sense of danger, with the edge of the cliff so close, added adrenaline and realism to their training.

Sparrowstar, who walked at the head of the patrol, reached the south border first. Sitting down at the edge of the drop, she wrapped her tortoiseshell tail neatly over her paws and gazed out onto the canyon. Her green gaze was joined by the yellow one of Palethorn, who settled beside her.

"See anything in this blasted sunset?" the warrior asked her. Sparrowstar only gave a nod, continuing to survey the landscape before her.

After a couple of moments, she replied, "I see beauty and danger and the hope of new life for us here." The white tom beside her stifled his snort at her words, but the tortoiseshell appeared unbothered.

"Seeing might be hard, but hearing is much easier," came a voice from Sparrowstar's other side. "Listen."

Morningbreeze, the pretty she-cat who spoke, pricked her ears and the other two did the same. Sure enough, something could be heard - the mewling of kits. Surprised, the tortoiseshell leader turned her head towards the sound, trying to figure out what its source was. She spotted it moments later, there, on a little cliff just below the outcropping. Three little bodies - two grey and one black.

"How did you get there?" she wondered aloud before moving to hop down onto the ledge. Morningbreeze, quick on her paws, moved first, careful to avoid stepping on the three kits. Her blue eyes filled with alarm as she sniffed at their bodies.

"They smell so strongly of milk, they can't be older than a moon," she said, looking up at Sparrowstar and Palethorn. "What should we do with them?" The pitiful mewling got louder and Morningbreeze wrapped her tail around the kits, holding them closer to her.

"I say we leave them," Palethorn growled. "We just got here, we don't need more mouths to feed!" Sparrowstar gazed at the white warrior, knowing that his harsh nature would not allow for helpless kits to take precedence over the rest of the Clan. His own kits had hardly ever gotten a visit from him in the nursery, even before his mate, Lichencloud, died. Sighing, she turned back to the grey she-cat on the ledge below her and the three little kits.

"These three kits are proof that cats can survive in this canyon," she mused. "Perhaps it is a sign from StarClan that this really is our new home?" She knew Palethorn would scoff at the suggestion, but Morningbreeze seemed to accept it. Coming closer to the edge of the outcropping, Sparrowstar leaned down so that Morningbreeze could pass her one of the kits. Placing it on the outcropping, away from the drop, she turned back for the next. Once all three kits were safely off of the ledge and the grey she-cat with them, she turned to Palethorn.

"Take your pick. We'll each carry one back to the camp." Growling something that sounded very much like, "blasted she-cats", the white tom did as he was told and grabbed the black kit, leaving the two grey ones to Sparrowstar and Morningbreeze. As the patrol headed back to camp, the soft mewls of the kits resounded around them and the tortoiseshell leader couldn't help but feel that the three little ones had been sent by StarClan. She had to believe it. If the canyon was not to be RockClan's permanent home, what was?


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 ❖ Asterpaw**

The copse of trees was alive with the calls of birds. Branches creaked as the wind swept through them, sending the leaves swirling, their rustling sound masking all others - including those of a cream-coloured cat as she stalked across the forest floor. Her green eyes focused on one thing: a sparrow that chirped not far away in the branches of an oak tree.

Asterpaw trotted with a certain skip in her step, her whiskers quivering and her ears pricked as she took in all that was around her. The she-cat's nose was raised, always moving as she used it to take in the scents around her and discover all of the things she was so curious about. Being so adventurous, as well as having such a keen sense of smell, made her want to explore as much as she could, despite the fact that she knew someone watched her while she hunted.

The scent this other cat invaded her nose and the light she-cat decided to ignore the forest around her, though it continued to call to the adventurous side of her, and turned to the task at hand. Approaching the oak tree, she sat at its base, green eyes gazing calmly up at the branches where the sparrow continued to sing, unaware of her presence. A small purr escaping her, she turned away and padded over to the neighbouring oak, small claws digging into its bark as she began to climb.

Being so small, the ascent took very little effort, and she was soon situated on a branch that hung just above where the sparrow perched. Her nose continued to twitch as she scaled the length of the branch, careful to keep her claws out to avoid slipping and falling to the forest floor below. The sharp and sweet scent of the sparrow made the she-cat's mouth water and the prospect of fresh-kill drove her forward. Bunching her muscles beneath her, the apprentice sprang off of the branch and into the neighbouring tree, aiming for the branch where the sparrow waited.

Her aim was true and she caught the sparrow with one paw, digging her claws into the branch with the other. Just like that, the bird hung limp from her claws and she let it drop to the ground below, the smell of death beginning to tinge the sweetness of its scent. This new scent, the dark and powerful one of death, brought horrible images to her mind and caused her to close her eyes.

But she was used to such interruptions; smells often reminded her of past events. Though her approach to blocking out these images was not very effective, she found them easier to block out now than before. The images faded quickly and she opened her green orbs to see the black pelt of a cat picking at the bird she dropped.

Yowling defiantly, she leaped from the branch, landing squarely on his shoulders. The raven-furred tom sprang away, hissing as the light apprentice began to purr. Bending over to check if the sparrow was still in tact, she turned to her mentor.

"How'd I do this time, Beetlewatcher?" she asked, a glimmer in her eyes. The apprentice knew that she had done well, especially with her decision to climb the neighbouring tree in order to get closer to her prey. It was a trick the black tom taught her and she always made sure to take his words to heart. He was the deputy and a great hunter at that, making him the best mentor she could have hoped for.

"You did very well, Asterpaw," he replied calmly. "I didn't expect you to use that trick, but you definitely surprised me." Beetlewatcher's fur was not yet lying flat after the scare Asterpaw gave him, and the apprentice enjoyed seeing the usually calm and collected tom slightly frazzled. Catching him off-guard was not a common occurence.

With a flick of his black tail, he turned back in the direction of the RockClan camp. Obediently, Asterpaw followed, the sparrow hanging from her jaw. She heard Beetlewatcher calling for his sister, Otterheart, who had come with them to the little copse of trees near the Carrion Place to look for herbs. Catmint, in particular, grew here, and with leaf-fall swiftly approaching the medicine cat did not want to be left without the only herb that was known to cure greencough. If not for Otterheart's need to stock up the medicine storage, Asterpaw might have been hunting lizards in the canyon instead. The Clan visited Carrion Place only when certain herbs that only grew nearby were needed. Otherwise, it was strictly off limits, especially to apprentices like herself. Being the apprentice of the deputy certainly had its bonuses, though it also meant he was busier than other mentors.

The trio set off, Beetlewatcher and Asterpaw with prey in their mouths while Otterheart carried catmint in her own, the leaves invading Asterpaw's nose with their sharp scent. Fighting the urge to sneeze, the apprentice inhaled the smell of the sparrow instead and, though she tried to block out the images the smell of death brought with it, it was to no avail.

Dark and heavy clouds hung in the grey sky and the snarls of felines rose to meet the heavens. There was no light, but teeth and claws continued to glint in the darkness and the mismatched colours of eyes glowed through the gloom. The smell of blood thickened the air, an unpleasant smell that left a metallic taste in one's mouth. Shrieks could be heard, as well as threats delivered in low growls, almost too soft to hear.

"Those kits will be the death of us," someone growled. "Let go of them or it'll be your body bleeding on the ground and not theirs." The rest of the words were lost as cats began to argue, voices rising in volume until they were screeching over one another. A smell joined the noise, one that tasted metallic, and yowls and screams and cries rose up, but the image was blurry and the colours too dark. The only thing to be seen was a pair of yellow eyes, filled with hatred and cruelty. The pupils shifted to meet Asterpaw's gaze and she felt her heart begin to race.

Frightened by the images, the apprentice dropped the sparrow and the smell of death receded enough for her to be able to push the images away. Breathing hard, she stopped to collect herself and Beetlewatcher and Otterheart halted, watching her with wide eyes. Dropping his prey to the ground, Asterpaw's mentor approached her slowly so as not to scare her and wrapped his tail comfortingly around her, murmuring soothing words until his apprentice's breathing began to slow and soften, her body no longer quaking with the sharp breaths. It was not the first time he had dealt with one of Asterpaw's flashbacks.

"I'll carry the fresh-kill for you," he whispered softly and Asterpaw just nodded. The feeling of failure filled her, but she refused to come near the sparrow. The images and sounds and scents of the flashback still filled her head and she was unwilling to have them repeat themselves. Falling into step behind her mentor as they continued back towards the camp, the light she-cat hung her head in defeat.

The grass under her paws soon turned to rocks and then into a plateau that lead to a canyon. The light of the setting sun made the red rock under her paws appear brighter and Asterpaw shuddered when she realized that it was almost the colour of blood. For some reason, she could almost smell that distinct scent that only blood had and taste the metal in her mouth, but the apprentice brushed it aside, thinking it to be a remnant from her vision.

Yet, the smell grew and the taste continued to inch into her mouth until all she could taste was that metal. The fur slowly beginning to rise on her scruff and back, Asterpaw raced past Beetlewatcher and Otterheart, who had not picked up on the scent yet. Noticing her agitation, the two sped up, following the she-cat as she raced off across the plateau.

The expanse of red rock ended suddenly in a steep cliff but Asterpaw continued to run, knowing there was a path that led down its side. Her claws provided a sort of grip on the rocks, which meant she could still travel quickly, though much more dangerously, down the canyon wall.

"Asterpaw, slow down!" she heard from behind her, but the smell of blood and death filled her nose and the apprentice was deaf and blind to all else around her. The path wound down the cliff face and she followed it blindly, her keen sense of smell having taken over all the others. The path moved past the warriors den, the highest den on the cliff face, then past her own, continuing on past the medicine den, nursery and elders den before reaching an end on the canyon floor.

Hopping down the last few tail lengths to the ground, Asterpaw twisted her head around the camp, searching for the source of the scent. Her eyes landed on a cat that was being carried in, its body limp. A blood stain stretched over its tortoiseshell pelt and, underneath the overwhelming smell of it, there was something else: poison.

The darkening sky was filled with voices, rising up to the clouds just as they had in her vision. The apprentice felt her heart rate quickening once more as the memory pushed at the back of her mind, begging to be let in even as she tried her hardest to keep it at bay.

Flinching away from the scene, the apprentice turned to leave before the scents became too strong and sucked her back in to another flashback. Beetlewatcher and Otterheart rushed past her as she did so, saying something that Asterpaw did not hear.

Cries that sounded very much like the name of RockClan's leader, Sparrowstar, rose behind her as she ran from the scene, her nose already picking out the scents of her siblings. If there was anyone who would be able to explain her flashback and why it had happened moments before the scene before her, it would be one of them.

* * *

**A/N: Hey there! If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for sticking through the prologue and first chapter, it truly means a lot. I know that the story is just getting started, but I would love to know what you think of it so far! Characters? Descriptions? Setting? What you think will happen next? Any comment at all helps me improve my writing or supports me in some way. Thanks :)**


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ❖ Emberpaw**

"Catch me if you can!" Her mentor's voice bounced off of the canyon walls as Runningheart raced past her, his ginger fur almost blending in with the rock around him. Shaking her head, Emberpaw picked up the pace, deciding to humour him. Used to her mentor's competitive nature, she joined in on his competitions often, if only to get out of cleaning dens for the night. Her tortoiseshell body moved over the canyon floor in pursuit of the red tabby, wondering what the stakes would be this time around. Behind her, she heard Sparrowstar purring at her brother's antics and the cheering of Martenfur as he egged the two on.

"Last one to Big Rock is fetching the other prey tomorrow morning!" Runningheart yelled over his shoulder and Emberpaw rolled her eyes at this, but spurred herself on all the same. Despite her tendency to be harsh, which often resulted in denials to his challenges, the wild side of her had taken over today and she found herself enjoying their little chase. Her paws pounded against the rocky ground in a steady rhythm and the apprentice realized she was gaining on her mentor. A small purr erupted from her as the wind rushed past her, tickling her whiskers.

Runningheart reached Big Rock first, but the tortoiseshell apprentice did not feel disappointed. With little at stake, she ran the race more for the enjoyment of it, not the win. Her mentor, on the other hand, always wanted to win, and he crowed over his victory now. Rolling her eyes once more, Emberpaw accepted defeat, knowing there was no way to get away from his competitiveness; she had already tried.

Sometimes, she wondered what drove Sparrowstar to pair her with the ginger tom. Oftentimes, he acted more kit-like than she did, almost as if the roles were reversed. The leader was Runningheart's littermate, though, which might have driven her to make the decision in the hopes that his competitiveness would be dulled by a despondent apprentice.

Sparrowstar, who walked up behind them, did not at all seem bothered by the fact that her plan, if it had been so, did not work. In fact, she seemed in high spirits and her green eyes were alight with laughter. Flicking her tail across Runningheart's ear, she chided him playfully for fooling around when he should be patrolling. Emberpaw watched their exchange, wondering if the two had always been like this. The young tortoiseshell herself had two brothers and all they ever did was fight - not playfully, like the two warriors before her, but as siblings often did.

"Perhaps you should race me sometime. I'd make sure you won." Her ear was suddenly filled by Martenfur's voice and the tortoiseshell flicked her tail in annoyance. The red-brown tabby was known for his friendliness, especially with the she-cats of the Clan. Not a single one was safe from compliments or flattery when it came to Martenfur.

"And I'd make sure to leave you in the dust," she replied sharply. Refusing to give Martenfur even a shred of amusement, Emberpaw waited patiently for her mentor or leader to give her further instructions. The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon and she assumed that they would be heading back to the camp soon. The apprentice's suspicions were confirmed when Sparrowstar marked the border.

At Sparrowstar's nod, the patrol moved back in the direction of the Clan's camp. The soft swishing of the wind accompanied them, providing a welcome reprieve from the last of the sun's hot rays. With any luck, the wind would cause the canyon to cool overnight, making sleep more comfortable. Emberpaw could not remember the last night she hadn't woken up sweating since RockClan's arrival in the canyon. It seemed that greenleaf was much harsher in the canyon than it was in the mountains; heatstroke seemed almost more commonplace now than greencough in leaf-bare. Because of this, the Clan made sure to have an early start to their day, dawn patrols going out before the sun rose and evening patrols going out just as the sun set. During the hottest parts of the day, the Clan spent their time in the coolness of their dens, going out only once the deadly heat receded.

Their shadows moved alongside them as they moved through the cooling air, black partners that stretched out across the length of the canyon and up the red walls. Emberpaw shot her mentor an unamused look when he pointed out that his shadow was bigger than hers and, as a result, she lost to him once more.

Suddenly, Sparrowstar stopped and the patrol with her. Emberpaw watched as the tortoiseshell sniffed at the air, her ears flicking this way and that as she tried to pick up something the apprentice could not hear. Emberpaw did the same, attempting to pick up on what her leader sensed.

After a moment, Sparrowstar relaxed, mewing that she must have overreacted to the sound of the wind. Runningheart flicked his tail over her flank playfully and Martenfur shrugged, turning to Emberpaw to make a comment of some sort.

The apprentice, however, was not paying attention. While the rest of the patrol gave up their search for any scent or sound of an intruder, Emberpaw continued. '_Everything will be alright,_' was the thought that flitted through her head, followed by, '_just an overreaction, of course,_' but the thoughts weren't her own. Shaking her head, she turned back to the warriors she was following.

The glint of fangs caught the corner of her eye and, fur bristling, she turned in the direction of the predator, a fierce snarl on her face. The tortoiseshell found herself staring at a long, skinny body covered with brown and red scales that blended into the canyon floor almost perfectly. Every time the creature moved, Emberpaw heard the faintest rattling sound, like the sound bones made when they scraped across each other.

"Watch out!" she cried as the rattlesnake moved towards the rest of the patrol. Her warning came too late. In horror, she watched as the snake pulled its head back, then lunged forward once more, burying its long sharp fangs in the throat of the tortoiseshell leader.

In that moment, it felt as if Emberpaw's head might explode, not from the shriek that Sparrowstar gave off as the fangs slipped under her skin, but from the scream she heard in her own head; almost as if she were hearing Sparrowstar's thoughts as the poison entered her, the pain resounding through Emberpaw's head, causing black spots to appear before her amber eyes.

And then, just as suddenly as they came, the sounds disappeared, and the only thing running through Emberpaw's head was, "_My last life... I'm dying_". Eyes stretched wide, the apprentice turned to the rest of the patrol, taking in the tragic sight. Runningheart stood over the Sparrowstar's twitching body, a stricken look on his face. Martenfur stood nearby, the rattlesnake hanging from his jaws.

The two toms shifted Sparrowstar onto their broad shoulders in an attempt to move her back towards the camp. Emberpaw grabbed the rattlesnake, careful to avoid the fangs should there still be poison on them, and followed. She tried to stay a little further behind the two warriors; if she got too close, her head swam from the multitude of thoughts flitting through it.

The patrol did not get far before Sparrowstar's breathing turned shallow. She asked for her warriors to stop and leave her, but they continued, unwilling to leave her behind. Finally, she commanded them to halt, at which they placed her on the hard floor of the canyon.

No one spoke, their eyes on Sparrowstar as she took in shuddering breaths. All three knew it was too late - the camp was too far away and, by the time they got there, the tortoiseshell leader would be dead. Emberpaw kept her eyes trained on her leader, unable to look away as death fell upon her.

"Bury me on the cliff," Sparrowstar rasped, her green eyes closing as it became harder and harder to breath. "So I can... I can watch over... my Clan." The she-cat let out one last short, shallow breath before becoming absolutely still.

Runningheart let out a sob, pushing his nose into the fur of Sparrowstar's scruff, where the warmth of life was still present. Emberpaw dropped the rattlesnake, disgusted by its very existence.

"We should get her back to camp," Martenfur whispered to Runningheart and the ginger tom just nodded, likely finding it hard to say anything. Emberpaw watched as they lifted Sparrowstar's body between them and, with slow steps, walked back in the direction of camp.

The tortoiseshell apprentice sat in the last light of the setting sun, watching the figures of the warriors becoming smaller and smaller as they walked away. It felt as if she could not move, her muscles frozen in place with the shock of what happened.

It was only when she heard Martenfur call for her that she lifted herself to her paws and, with one last look at the rattlesnake that killed Sparrowstar, turned to follow the diminished patrol.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ❖ Martenfur**

Grief weighed down his spirit just as Sparrowstar's body weighed down his muscled shoulders. The red-brown tabby kept his steps steady, focussing on anything but the stench of poison and death that seemed to surround him. The beating of his heart became erratic, fear entering the usually fearless warrior as unbidden thoughts entered his mind.

_What do we do now that Sparrowstar is gone?_ he thought. _How can we continue on without the leader who brought us here?_ The idea that RockClan would need to go on without the tortoiseshell leader, the only leader he'd known his whole life, was almost unbearable. Martenfur wondered if others felt the same way. The slump of Runningheart's shoulders told Martenfur that nothing would be the same.

The trek to camp seemed to drag on longer than it usually did, leaving the warrior unsure if it was the physical distance or the exhaustion from the events of the day. Whether he wanted to get back to camp at all was debatable, as that was when the question would start. Judging from Runningheart's frail state and Emberpaw's youth, the one answering them would be Martenfur. Despite his general air of confidence, he did not find himself looking forward to it.

The moment arrived all the same. Laying the body of the tortoiseshell down before the Fallen Tree, her den, Martenfur turned to see his Clanmates staring down from their dens and various locations around the camp. Their eyes were wide and grief descended upon the camp like a dark cloud. Runningheart remained beside the body of his sister, staring down at her dull fur. To the red-brown tom's surprise, Emberpaw remained nearby as well, sitting calmly as cats began to approach them.

The first cry came from Dapplefur, Sparrowstar's sister, who came running from the nursery, amber eyes filled with dismay. She collapsed next to her sister's body and Runningheart put his tail comfortingly around her shoulders. The others began to crowd in around them in order to get a better look and Martenfur felt the need to say something in order to give the grieving cats some space.

No sooner had he opened his mouth than a different voice rang out across the canyon camp. The crowd stopped to let the deputy through their midst, whose yellow eyes took in the damage carefully.

"What happened?" Beetlewatcher asked, his voice low and soft.

All eyes, including Martenfur's own, turned to Runningheart. If anyone was able to explain what happened, it would be the senior warrior on the patrol. But the silence dragged on and Runningheart said nothing, seemingly lost in a different world.

Martenfur suddenly found himself the centre of attention. Though he did not mind attention in the slightest, he found the calmness in Beetlewatcher's gaze both irritating and admirable. How could the deputy remain so collected at a time like this? His own eyes were probably filled with loss and fear. Avoiding looking the black tom straight in the eye, Martenfur answered his question as confidently as he could.

"We were patrolling near Big Rock when a rattlesnake attacked. It struck Sparrowstar in the throat and... Well, there was no time to react because of how fast it all happened. We were too far away to call for help or get back here in time to save her." There was a stunned silence following his words and all the young warrior could do was turn to the limp body of his former leader and whisper, "I'm sorry."

A soft murmuring broke the silence, crescendoing like water as it hit rapids, until the voices of disbelieving and terrified cats filled the canyon.

"Why would StarClan ever do this to us?" Gentlefern asked, her voice filled with misery.

"Not everything is in StarClan's paws," replied Beartooth, her mate, attempting to console her.

"Perhaps it is a sign?" asked Badgerclaw.

"What if we are in danger here?" asked Silverhawk.

"We can't leave, we just got here!" Ripplestream wailed, wrapping her tail protectively around her two small kits.

The queries went back and forth, a general panic beginning to rise among the gathered cats, until Martenfur felt that he could no longer listen. Where were his Clan members' loyalties? Did they really believe that StarClan would take Sparrowstar in such a way to give them a sign? Surely she or Otterheart would have received an omen instead?

He turned to Beetlewatcher and found the tom's eyes on him, an understanding look already in his eyes without the warrior having so much as breathed a word. Though the two did not have very much in common, they agreed on the one thing that truly mattered: loyalty. The deputy jumped onto the Fallen Tree in one fluid movement and his yowl brought everyone to attention.

"Cats of RockClan," Beetlewatcher began. "We are gathered here today to honour the passing of a great leader - Sparrowstar. It was her courage and strength of spirit that got us to where we are now. Let us not fight over what is to be done now, but trust that she knew what she was doing when she brought us here." Here, the black tom paused, surveying the crowd for any sign of discontent. A few grumbles could be heard, but no outright protests.

Moments later, the other patrol arrived, coming back from their patrol of the south border. Palethorn, at the head of the patrol, stopped short when his eyes fell on Sparrowstar. Behind him, Mapleblossom's eyes widened, Littlepaw's fur bristled and Morningbreeze let out a cry of shock.

"What is the meaning of this?" Palethorn growled.

Feeling the need to explain, Martenfur stepped forward. "A rattlesnake came out of nowhere and bit Sparrowstar in the - "

"I didn't ask _you_," Palethorn hissed before turning to Beetlewatcher. Martenfur's eyes flashed in annoyance when the pale tom did not interrupt the deputy, even though he explained with the exact same words Martenfur used previously.

"We will carry out vigil for Sparrowstar tonight and bury her in the morning," Beetlewatcher continued, eyes falling on the two elders of the Clan, Goldfur and Thistleclaw. The old cats bowed their heads and began to discuss where they would bury the former leader.

"On the cliff," a weak voice said. It took Martenfur a moment to recognize Runningheart's soft and distorted voice, a vast difference from his usual boisterous one. "She wanted to be buried on the cliff."

Palethorn scoffed. "Why on the cliff? Her remains will rot if they are that close to the sun. She should be buried somewhere in the shade." Beside him, Frostfur nodded her head in agreement.

"She wanted to be buried on the cliff so that she could watch over her Clan." The statement came from behind him, leaving Martenfur shocked that Emberpaw said anything, let alone in response to her despondent father. The white tom's hatred for his daughter, for reasons unknwon to many in the Clan, was no secret. The look in the tom's eyes as he turned to the apprentice made Martenfur feel sorry for her and, instinctively, he moved in between the senior warrior's piercing gaze and Emberpaw's form.

Beetlewatcher was quick to break the tension. "She will be buried on the cliff, as was her wish. The sun is quickly disappearing and the next deputy must be appointed before moonhigh." The words caused a shuffling within the crowd and, though Martenfur could not be sure, he thought he saw Palethorn sit up a little straighter.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of RockClan will be Redblaze." Martenfur swelled with pride as he watched the humble and generous warrior bow his head in gratitude. His mentor would make a fine deputy.

"May you remember that your loyalties are to your Clan and not necessarily to your leader, Redblaze, and may you serve the Clan for many moons to come. Now, let us eat and share tongues before mourning commences. I will set out for Moon Rocks tomorrow to receive my nine lives." With that, Beetlewatcher disappeared from the Fallen Tree and led the way to the fresh-kill pile.

Martenfur decided to wait before grabbing some fresh-kill; socializing sounded tedious, an unusual thought for a friendly tom like him, and eating even more so. Instead, he pondered Beetlewatcher's words to Redblaze, thinking about their significance to the whole Clan, not just the new deputy. Frowning, the red-brown tabby wondered how his fellow Clan members could even think about disloyalty. As far as he was concerned, loyalty was most important when it came to his Clan. Coming out of his musings with a sigh, he became aware of eyes on his back.

Emberpaw sat in the exact same spot as when they first arrived in camp. Her tortoiseshell fur was only now beginning to lie flat. She seemed lost in thought and her eyes gave nothing away.

"Hey, you alright?" Martenfur decided to ask, his usual friendly tone replaced by a sombre one after the events of the day. The amber of her gaze washed over him and he made sure to stare right back, concentrating. After experiencing such an event as this, he felt as if the two should have a connection. Maybe a shared sorrow, an understanding, or a trust of some sort. Instead, the apprentice seemed more detached than ever and, try as he might, Martenfur was not able to break through her shell.

"I'm fine," she said icily. "Goodnight, Martenfur." She got up and, with a lash of her tail, moved past him.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 ❖ Pebblepaw**

_I wonder when Otterheart will be back,_ the small grey tom wondered as he bustled about the medicine den. Pebblepaw did not mind being alone, preferring the solitude of the medicine den to the cramped and noisy confines of the apprentice den his littermates slept in. Company did not concern him all that much; the herbs the medicine cat brought in and whether they would fit into the spaces he left for them in the medicine storage did. The better part of the morning and afternoon had been spent cleaning and organizing, something that Otterheart, his mentor, praised him for often.

A sudden commotion brought him out of his meditative state and he peeked out of the entrance to the den, surveying the crowd below. The unmistakeable scent of blood, coupled with the tang of poison, rose to meet him and the medicine cat apprentice quickly withdrew into the den. His breathing suddenly turned shallow and his head swam. The air inside the den smelled of the sweetness of juniper and the sharpness of catmint; the rest of the camp smelt of death, a smell that Pebblepaw thought he might never get used to.

"You alright?" came a muffled voice from the entrance of the den.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Pebblepaw asked innocently, smoothing down his fur and turning to see Otterheart.

The tabby she-cat dropped the catmint and yarrow in her jaws onto the floor of the den. "I know that the scent of blood is something you're not comfortable with." Pebblepaw avoided meeting her eyes and hung his head, knowing the truth in her words. Though his strengths as a medicine cat apprentice were many, his weaknesses equalled them; not handling blood too well was one of them. Being the future medicine cat of RockClan, Pebblepaw assumed he would pretend that blood didn't bother him, though just the idea of spending his life pretending made him anxious.

"We'll work on it." The tabby she-cat nudged her apprentice's head with her own, letting him know of her support. "You can stay in here and sort while I find out what is going on." Nodding, the tom turned to the freshly picked herbs.

No sooner had Otterheart left than two new figures stood in the entrance. These two were much smaller, one a light cream colour, rather than the darker tabby of his mentor, and the other black with white markings. Even through the scent of the catmint in his jaws, Pebblepaw recognized the scents of his littermates, Asterpaw and Starlingpaw.

"Do you have a moment?" Asterpaw asked quietly, glancing behind her. She looked apprehensive and almost fearful. After receiving a nod from him, the she-cat continued.

"I had another vision."

Pebblepaw turned to her immediately, hastily putting the catmint away so that he could give Asterpaw his full and undivided attention.

"What happened this time?"

"I was carrying some fresh-kill when I inhaled the scent of it," Asterpaw started, shuffling her paws nervously. "It smelt of blood and death and that must have triggered the memory. Before I knew it, darkness surrounded me and everywhere there were cats fighting. And then, there was a voice, saying something about kits and how they would be the death of 'them' - whoever 'them' is."

Asterpaw paused and the trio was silent. Starlingpaw blinked her large yellow eyes in the dark, causing her sister to shiver as she remembered another detail.

"The speaker had yellow eyes that turned to me at the end of the vision." This, in turn, made Pebblepaw's fur stand on end as he remembered his own dreams.

"I've seen something similar," he confessed. "A couple nights ago I had a dream. In it, there was also a battle, but the words were different. The speaker said, 'These kits could lead us to victory'. I woke up after he turned his yellow eyes to me as well." The siblings exchanged wary looks as each one tried to figure out what the two visions meant. Starlingpaw spoke first.

"That doesn't make any sense. If the speaker is the same cat in both visions, the kits they're referring to can't mean both death and victory."

"Suppose they are two different cats?" replied Asterpaw. "Would it mean that the kits are the death of one group and mean victory for another?"

Both she and the black apprentice turned to Pebblepaw, who was busy mulling over the information. His whiskers twitched as he thought deeply.

"We will both need to try to remember as much as we can from the visions." The grey tom, knowing that the two visions could not have been coincidental, also knew that they would not be able to reach a conclusion without further research. "Maybe what the cat's fur looked like, what gender they were, a description of their voice? Anything that we would be able to compare in order to make sense of all of this."

Before Pebblepaw could continue, the sound of Beetlewatcher's voice calling a Clan gathering floated up to the den. The tom nodded to his littermates, signalling that they could talk later, and took a deep breath. With it, he inhaled as much of the scents of the medicine den as he could, before stepping onto the path that ran down the cliff edge just outside of the den entrance.

Below him, by the Fallen Tree, his fellow Clan members gathered around something - no, someone - and the scents made the apprentice's fur stand on end. Not wanting to move closer, should the smell of blood make him dizzy once more, Pebblepaw narrowed his eyes in an effort to see the shapes below. Starlingpaw and Asterpaw emerged behind him and, being the curious she-cats they were, padded down the cliff path right away. Asterpaw stopped just after the nursery entrance while Starlingpaw continued down. She stopped suddenly, turning back to her siblings with a look of anguish on her face.

Pebblepaw could not hold his breath any longer. The smell of Sparrowstar filled his nose, accompanied by something else that left a metallic taste in his mouth. Gagging on the unmistakeable scent and taste of blood, the apprentice retreated into the medicine den, where he sat in his nest trying to catch his breath. A sob escaped his throat and the apprentice curled up in the moss in an effort to keep any more from emerging.

Otterheart returned not long after and, taking in Pebblepaw's distressed state, curled herself around him and began to awkwardly try to comfort him. The grey tom was grateful for her efforts, but knew that the she-cat did not like comforting others, whether they were patients or, in this case, scared apprentices.

Once he thought his episode was over, the apprentice lifted his head to meet Otterheart's yellow eyes with his own. Though her body was warm, her eyes were cold, letting Pebblepaw know everything he needed to.

"Why?" he croaked.

All Otterheart could do was shake her head. Pebblepaw turned away, burying his nose in the desert moss of his nest. He should have known the question would remain unanswered by his mentor. The mysterious workings of StarClan would have stumed even Sparrowstar herself, were she still alive. The tortoiseshell leader taught him everything he knew about their warrior ancestors: who they were, why they existed, what they did for the Clan.

_This can't be happening,_ he thought. _It just simply can't be true._ But even as he tried to convince himself that this was just some cruel joke that StarClan was playing on all of them, there remained a voice somewhere deep inside that told him it must be true.

Sparrowstar, his beloved leader, was gone.

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**A/N: Is it weird that the medicine cat apprentice is scared of blood? I've been toying with the idea and I thought it might be interesting. Let me know what you think :)**

**If you'd like to read a little bit about different Clan members, I invite you to read my short stories, _Worst Nightmare_ (which features Littlepaw, who is Emberpaw's brother) and _You Are_ (which is about Sparrowstar when she was still a 'paw). **

**As always, all reviews are greatly appreciated :)**

**\- Spirit**


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 ❖ Starlingpaw**

Starlingpaw did not mind getting up early for dawn patrols; the coolness of the canyon in the morning was a welcome reprieve from the heat that filled the camp during the day. She was always the first one up, awake before her mentor most days.

Today was different. She heard her mentor long before she emerged from her den, calling for some stronger cats to help carry Sparrowstar up the cliff face for burial. Goldfur and Thistleclaw loudly argued that they didn't need help, being strong former warriors. Starlingpaw felt her whiskers twitch in amusement as the old and grouchy Thistleclaw began to talk about his strength in battle and how it never left him. From what she saw when cleaning his den, the tom could hardly get out of his nest most mornings, let alone carry the former leader up the cliff.

Beetlewatcher broke up the fight, his voice weary. It was settled that Beartooth and Runningheart would help the elders while the other Clan members went about their duties. Sensing that patrols would be leaving soon, Starlingpaw approached her mentor.

The big red tabby purred as she approached and swatted at her with his fluffy tail by way of greeting. Starlingpaw swatted back with her paw, the feel of the fine hair soothing against the cracks in her pads. The rock floor of the canyon was hard on all of the cats in the Clan, but the apprentice's especially soft pads tore and cracked with even the smallest amount of travel.

"South border patrol!" Redblaze called out, gesturing to Frostfur and Whitepaw. The two white cats joined the deputy and his apprentice and set out for the Training Cliff, which marked the south end of their territory. The warriors took up the lead with the apprentices trailing behind.

Starlingpaw did not know Whitepaw very well, as he was two moons older and prone to looking down upon the younger apprentices. From what she saw of him during training, he was a strong fighter and could beat all of the other apprentices - except for Emberpaw, his sister. When it came to hunting, however, she outmatched him five times out of six when Redblaze and Frostfur pitted them against each other. She attributed her only loss to her cracked pads, which bled that day and forced her to admit defeat.

The other apprentice seemed to be thinking about the same thing. "Thank StarClan we're not hunting today. I don't think I'd be able to take losing to a younger apprentice again." Starlingpaw heard a note of contempt in his otherwise bored voice. It did not come as a surprise, with Palethorn being his father.

For a moment, Starlingpaw thought of commenting on how glad she was they were not training today. A training session would result in his victory and the she-cat, not being keen to put up with the immature apprentice for much longer, thought better of bringing it up. Instead, she flicked her ear and told him she was just doing her best to feed their Clan. Whitepaw grumbled in response but did not attempt to speak to her again.

The patrol followed the stream that ran through part of the canyon and, once it veered off to cut its own path through the red rock, continued on alongside the canyon walls. The giant walls of stone towered above their tiny forms, following with a movement of their own. They came together at times, creating narrow passageways for the cats to move through, and at others opened up into large open spaces where desert moss and small shrubs grew.

The sun turned the canyon a brighter red as it slowly came up and, by the time the patrol reached the Training Cliff, was visible just over the horizon. It would be sunhigh by the time the patrol returned to the camp.

For a moment, the patrol paused at the cliff. Starlingpaw made sure to stay well away from the edge, fearing the drop, but admired the view all the same. This was the edge of their world, where the canyon walls dropped away and continued on down below, creating another canyon and going on as far as her eyes could see. The stream moved along with the canyon, growing larger and becoming a river that the sun shone off of, the reflection glittering in Starlingpaw's eyes. From this vantage point, she could see the back of an eagle as it soared over the red rock landscape. She let out a call, sharp and pointed like that of an eagle's and it circled around, searching for the source.

Redblaze purred at this. "Perhaps they should have named you Eaglepaw instead of Starlingpaw. You seem to imitate eagles quite well." Starlingpaw bowed her head, imitating the sounds of a starling instead. While being named for her pelt colour, it was true that eagles were easier to imitate.

"Alright, enough with the bird imitations," Frostfur said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get this patrol over with."

"Let's spread out," the red deputy suggested, directing the patrol members in various directions.

Much to her displeasure, Redblaze assigned Starlingpaw to the least dangerous side of the cliff. Off to the side of the training ground stood a cavern of sorts, where the walls twisted and turned and opened up into pockets of space that had to be squeezed through in order to get to the other side. The Clan called it The Maze because of this and the apprentices used it for battle training in confined spaces. Being small, she fit through the small pockets easily; her mentor, being so large, would scale the wall closeby and watch her progress from above.

The black apprentice leaped up into the nearest opening in the wall and instantly felt the coolness of the rock around her. Having a pelt as dark as her own, the shade helped to bring her temperature down. The change of temperature also served to cool the burning of her cracked pads. She continued through the tunnel on light paws and out onto a sunny ledge, scenting the air. The chance of finding intruders in here was very low; snakes and lizards were much more common, but either posed no threat or were disposed of easily.

Crawling through yet another tunnel, Starlingpaw emerged into a small cave within the walls. Three tunnels led off of it - the one she emerged from and two before her, one that led in the direction of the cliff and the other which continued straight on through. Unsure of which road to take, the apprentice scented the air.

A pungent scent reached her and she wrinkled her nose. It reminded her of crowfood. Curious, but a little bit anxious, she took the tunnel that led closer to the cliff face. The further she walked, the more pervasive the smell became, until she thought that the rock itself had taken on the odor.

Then, a faint sound joined the scent. Starlingpaw strained to hear it, locating its source easily enough. While her sister, Asterpaw's, sense of smell was more keen than that of others, Starlingpaw's sense of hearing was strong. She picked up her pace, willing the encounter to be over with.

The tunnel opened up onto a ledge exposed to the sunlight and, all of a sudden, Starlingpaw wished she had not rushed to get there. The scent of rot overwhelmed her and its source became apparent soon after.

There, not too far from the edge, lay a kit. Or, what used to be one. One look at it and Starlingpaw turned away, heaving up her breakfast. The lizard tasted worse on the way up than it had on the way down. It took all of the apprentice's courage to turn back around and search for the source of the sound.

The faint mewling, from what Starlingpaw had already deduced, belonged to another kit. A feeling of dread beneath her fur, she continued to search. When she finally located the kit where it lay in the only patch of shade on the ledge she stopped short. Suddenly, she was not sure whether the dead or the live kit was the worse sight to behold.

It looked at her with eyes half-closed, its little chest hardly moving as it struggled to breathe. Its fur was orange, though Starlingpaw could not be sure because of the amount of blood caked onto it. The large gash in the kit's side reeked of infection.

_This is the last thing we need after Sparrowstar's death, _Starlingpaw thought.

Yet, almost without hesitation, she turned to the open air and let out an eagle's call, hoping that the slight wind would carry it to the rest of the patrol. Then, she approached the kit, murmuring softly that everything would be alright, and wrapped herself around it to provide its little body with some warmth while they waited.

* * *

**A/N: Got an update in before Christmas! Next one will, hopefully, be before New Years. I hope you're enjoying the story so far; if you're not, please leave a review telling me what I can do better (though you can leave a review, regardless ;) ).**

**Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!**

**\- Spirit**


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 ❖ Kestrelkit**

"Kestrelkit, stop squirming!" The sound of the exasperated queen's voice filled the den as her kit continued to move about while her mother attempted to clean her. The she-kit was covered in red dust from having played outside in the rocks earlier and had already received a stern talking to about the amount of dirt she trekked in to the nursery.

Making a face, Kestrelkit made an effort to sit still, but was soon distracted from the soothing strokes of Dapplefur's tongue by the sound of Beetlewatcher's voice. The measured and calm tone was very different from the one she was used to. With a pang, she remembered the events of the previous night: her mother's cries, the feel of Sparrowstar's fur against her nose and the smell of fear that hung over the entire camp. Then, she remembered the days leading up to last night's tragedy and the pang spread through her and left her filled with fear.

Eager to get rid of it, the kit dodged her mother's tongue once more and hurried towards the entrance to the nursery, following the heat of the sun as it filtered in through the den opening. Movement always helped her to clear her head. Behind her, she could hear the padding of little paws as Skykit and Brightkit followed her out, their mother, Ripplestream, murmuring in the background.

"I would like Asterpaw to join me on my trip, as well as Otterheart or Pebblepaw and two warriors," Beetlewatcher was saying. "Perhaps Martenfur and Gentlefern?" Kestrelkit listened with interest, glad to have something to keep her mind off of the fear. She wondered what it would be like to be selected for patrols once she became an apprentice. Already being six moons old, her apprentice ceremony would take place any day now. At least, she hoped it would.

"We'll go with you!" cried Skykit and Brightkit in their usual energetic voices and Kestrelkit felt them rush past her to get to Beetlewatcher. She stifled a purr as the former deputy jumped back to escape the attacking kits.

Gentlefern brushed them off lightly. "Now, now, you'll have your chance one day. For now, it's your duty to chase down all of the tumbleweeds that dare to enter our camp boundaries." Her tail swished over the ground as she flicked the kits playfully on the ears.

Kestrelkit remained off to the side, listening to the proceedings. Busy thinking up scenarios where she herself would be included in patrols, she did not notice the cat approaching her. The tom settled down beside her, nearly making her jump out of her fur when his own brushed against it.

"Pebblepaw!" she exclaimed, his familiar scent entering her nose. He smelled of mint and juniper, both sharp and sweet at the same time.

"Good morning, Kestrelkit," he replied. "I brought you something." The smell of a mouse wafted up towards the she-cat and her mouth watered. Taking a small bite, she pushed the prey back towards him in an effort to share it.

When Pebblepaw had taken his first mouthful, she asked, "How are you feeling?" Underneath the smell he always carried, Kestrelkit also sensed something else - a fatigue or resignation of some sort.

The medicine cat apprentice paused before replying. "I've been better. But then, I think everyone has. I just wish that I was going to Moon Cliffs with Beetlewatcher tonight. Otterheart insisted on going, though StarClan knows why."

Kestrelkit nodded in understanding. Pebblepaw had let slip about his mentor's wavering belief in StarClan about a moon ago when she came to him for explanations regarding a dream. While she did not dispute that Otterheart was a fair medicine cat and carried out her duty to the Clan, the disconnection between her and StarClan made the kit uncomfortable.

"How are you?" Pebblepaw asked, pushing the mouse back towards her. His tone was friendly and polite, so much different than what she heard from many of others.

Taking a bite, she remembered her earlier feeling of fear. "I'm scared."

A silence stretched between the two, not awkward or uncomfortable but rather light and filled with an understanding that could not be expressed with words. Admitting this, Kestrelkit already felt better, but another secret weighed her down. This, however, was not something she would share with anyone, not even Pebblepaw.

The shuffling of paws announced the patrols departure and the tom besides her rose to his feet to say goodbye to his mentor and littermate. Kestrelkit waited, enjoying the feel of the sun on her dark fur while she could. Once her mother caught her out in the sunlight, she would wisk her back into the nursery to keep her from getting heatstroke.

"When do you think I'll be apprenticed?" Kestrelkit asked when Pebblepaw returned. She sat up straight, stretching to her full size. Not large, but big enough to be an apprentice, she assumed.

"I don't know," Pebblepaw responded. "Soon, I would think. It's up to Beetlewatcher." She could hear the hesitation in his voice and felt slightly deflated.

"With Sparrowstar I knew it would happen at one point or another," the she-cat admitted. "But now... I'm not sure if I'll ever be accepted the way I am." She turned her light amber eyes in her friend's direction, hoping for words of comfort.

He sighed in response. "I accept you, for what that's worth." Kestrelkit nodded in thanks, grateful that Pebblepaw was on her side.

"I'm scared that things won't be the same again," he continued. "I know they can't be, with what has happened, but I'm worried that they will only continue to spiral. It's why I wanted to share tongues with StarClan tonight."

The heavy thudding of running paws against the hard rock of the canyon cut the she-cat off before she could respond. Her paws felt the vibrations of the ground as a group of cats raced past her, bringing with them the smell of rot and blood. Beside her, Pebblepaw recoiled from the scent and she moved closer, pressing her fur against his.

"Where's Beetlewatcher?" Redblaze's voice rang out clear and strong across the camp.

"He left with a patrol not too long ago, he won't be back until after his leader ceremony," replied Beartooth in his low voice. Kestrelkit heard the new deputy swear at this.

Both of the queens suddenly emerged from the nursery, having smelled the blood and faint kit-scent that only now found its way to Kestrelkit. Masked by the sour scent of infection, it was not apparent at first.

"By StarClan, who would do this to a kit?!" cried Ripplestream. Dapplefur let out a shocked cry and Kestrelkit soon saw why.

Out of the shadows and unfamiliar shapes that usually made up Kestrelkit's vision, a small patch of light emerged. At first, it was too small to see clearly, but it grew until it took on the shape of a kit. Creeping up inside of her was that same feeling of dread she experienced only yesterday. She gasped and closed her eyes tight, wishing for the first time ever that she could remain completely blind.

The kit mewled and Kestrelkit swallowed, plucking up the courage to open her eyes. For a moment, the image of a little ginger she-cat appeared before being obscured by the shadowy form of Pebblepaw as he walked past her to approach the bloodied kit. She wanted to call out to the gathered cats, to tell them that it was too late. The kit was so bright in Kestrelkit's vision that she was practically dead already.

Just like Sparrowstar at only sunhigh yesterday.

Yet, Kestrelkit held her tongue. Many members of the Clan already thought she was a freak. They did not need to know about this, especially since being blind already set her back amonst her Clanmates. Her curse would have to remain a secret, or otherwise turn the Clan against her.

She watched, as she rarely did, as Ripplestream picked up the kit and carried her up the cliff path to the medicine den. Pebblepaw trailed behind her, no doubt muttering remedies under his breath. The kit shone like a star the whole way up, the light only snuffed out once safely tucked away in the medicine den.

Then, Kestrelkit's world turned black once more, leaving her wondering when she would be able to see again - and whether she even wanted to.

* * *

**A/N: Now that we've met all six POV characters, I'd love to ask: which one's your favourite/least favourite? Which power would you yourself like to have, given the choice? Leave a review and let me know!**

**Happy New Year everyone (even though it's still a day and a half away, where I am)!**

**\- Spirit**


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 ❖ Martenfur**

Despite drinking what felt like a moon's worth of rain from the stream, the bitter taste of traveling herbs remained fresh in Martenfur's mouth. The upside to the amount of water he'd drank was that it helped keep him cool in the sunhigh heat. The longer they traveled, the worse his already sticky and sweaty fur became.

Up ahead, Beetlewatcher conversed with Otterheart and Gentlefern, which left Martenfur in the rear with Asterpaw. He gave her a sideways glance, watching her constantly shifting face with curiosity. One moment, a look of curiosity would appear, replaced by hesitation a second later and, right after, something akin to suspicion. Throughout all of this, her nose remained the only constant, twitching uncontrollably. The warrior thought the movement of the little pink bud quite adorable.

"I know you're watching me." The she-cat's voice interrupted Martenfur's thoughts, catching him off-guard. The tom, being the confident warrior he was, recovered quickly.

"My apologies, I was only admiring your physique." He winked at her and saw her roll her eyes at him in dismissal, but felt the heat coming from under her light fur all the same.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," the warrior quickly added, not wanting to make the apprentice feel awkward with his advances. "It was only a small compliment."

"I'm not embarrassed," Asterpaw replied cheerfully. "I've just never really been complimented before." At this, Martenfur gave her a shocked look.

"A pretty thing like you? The male apprentices should be all over you!" While he was genuinely surprised that the she-cat did not regularly receive compliments, he played it up for the sake of theatrics. At the head of the patrol, Gentlefern looked back to give him a scolding look.

Asterpaw laughed softly. "Well, one of those apprentices is my brother, which is hardly appropriate. The other two are Whitepaw and Littlepaw; one is very much like his father, the other immature. I don't really have anyone to receive compliments from." She shrugged, seemingly unbothered by this fact.

The warrior snorted. "Don't let those two get to you. They may be the sons of Palethorn, but I'm sure they're half the apprentices you are." This time, Martenfur saw the she-cat's demeanor brighten. It served to lift his own, though the comment had been made out of spite for the older warrior, who he believed to be arrogant and loyal only to himself.

The comment caught the attention of Gentlefern, Palethorn's kin. Only their physical similarities hinted at their relation, both being pale in colour and sporting light-coloured eyes. In personality, the two were very different, with Palethorn known for his strictness with apprentices, harsh words and generally disagreeable nature. Gentlefern, on the other hand, looked for compromises, patiently played with kits and held a mother-figure role in the Clan.

"I'd like to remind you that kits do not always turn out like their parents," Gentlefern mewed, glaring at Martenfur with piercing green eyes. The red-brown tabby bowed his head to his mother. Beside him, Asterpaw watched on curiously.

"Perhaps it would sometimes be best for kits to turn out like their mothers," Otterheart pitched in, glancing over at Gentlefern. The medicine cat, along with their new leader, were kits from the warrior's first litter, making them his half-siblings. Martenfur rarely remembered this fact, as everyone in the Clan felt like family, though not blood-related.

"The duty of raising kits is not left solely up to the mother," Beetlewatcher said in his usual calm tone. "It is the duty of the Clan." The finality of the words led Martenfur to believe that the tom was quoting the warrior code. It felt like such a long time ago when he learned it himself - the edges were beginning to blur.

Trying his hardest to remember as much as he could, he kept his amber eyes locked on a point far ahead for the remainder of the journey to Moon Cliffs, reciting the warrior code silently.

* * *

Night fell not long after the patrol passed Big Rock, stopping to hunt before continuing on. Asterpaw caught most of the prey for their group, leaving the young warrior to be teased good-naturedly by Gentlefern. The teasing did not bother him; he was more of a fighter than a hunter.

The little she-cat seemed apologetic that she had outdone him and brought him the mouse she caught. He almost caught one himself, but the scraping of a lizard's claws scared it away before he he a chance to pounce. His own catch consisted of two lizards, still warm from the sun they basked in before becoming the patrol's dinner. Martenfur refused Asterpaw's offering at first, but upon seeing that Asterpaw would not relent, finally offered to share it with her. This, at least, was a fair compromise.

They walked the last leg of the journey to Moon Cliffs in companionable silence, the padding of soft paws filling the air around them. Before long, the moon would be up at its highest point and Beetlewatcher would receive his nine lives. The idea of having someone other than Sparrowstar as leader was slightly disconcerting to Martenfur, the tortoiseshell being the only leader he'd ever known. Stories of Falconstar and Hazelstar had been told to him as a kit, but the tom hardly remembered those. The warrior liked experiencing things for himself, rather than hearing about the greatness before his time.

Looking at Beetlewatcher now, the red-brown tabby wondered if the tom would make a good leader. He was quite young, not yet having lived three full season-cycles, but the way he moved suggested otherwise. A strength rippled underneath the midnight fur, a sort of hidden grace in each and every movement. Martenfur remembered the way Beetlewatcher's eyes reflected calm, even during the announcement of Sparrowstar's death the previous night, and decided that perhaps that, if nothing else, would make the tom a great leader. If the Clan had a leader like Beetlewatcher, they would remain calm and collected during times of trial; and StarClan knew what sorts of trials awaited them.

Their arrival at the entrance to the Moon Cliffs cut short the tom's musings. Beetlewatcher dipped his head into the cavern first, squeezing past the walls that curved in on either side. The narrow passage forced Martenfur to squeeze his broad shoulders past the hard red rock.

The passage continued, a thin line of floor between towering walls on either side. At the very end of the dark passage, a steady light grew brighter and brighter. The tom kept his eyes on it, expecting it to flicker as the patrol made its way down the narrow walkway. He was so focused on it that he nearly stepped on Asterpaw's tail when the cats in front of him stopped abruptly.

"Careful," she breathed, whisking her tail away from underfoot and flicking him across the nose with it. Even in the dark, Martenfur could make out the black tip of her otherwise light tail.

Just when Martenfur began to think the small passage would never end, it suddenly opened up into what could only be described as an enormous cave. Tilting his head back, he stared up in awe at the giant walls around him, rising up as far as the cliff face did back at camp. There were niches in the rock, undulations where it moved further back into itself and cavities where it had crumbled away over the ages.

And there, at the very top, a hole in the rock ceiling. From Martenfur's viewpoint, it seemed small, but the moonlight filtering through it created a large pool on the floor of the cave. The light shifted and shimmered, and Martenfur stared at it in awe. For a moment, he wondered if scaling the walls would help him get closer to its source.

_You're not a squirrel_, he growled at himself, dismissing the notion. _And you're not a very good climber, regardless._

Asterpaw seemed to have the same idea. She bunched her legs beneath her and sprang at one of the niches, landing squarely on the natural ledge. From there, she raised her head to look up at the light in wonder.

"Keep watch for me," Beetlewatcher said quietly. The two young cats nodded, continuing to stare at the moonlight as it danced into the cave and cast its steady light onto the walls.

Asterpaw shivered. "It's almost as if our warrior ancestors are here." She spoke softly, but her voice echoed quietly off of the walls before dissolving into nothingness. The tom listened, settling down beside her little ledge. Gentlefern and Otterheart curled up on the opposite side of the cave and Martenfur looked over at them thoughtfully.

"Maybe your blood kin is somewhere up there," Martenfur replied without thinking. Though he sensed a sudden wave of hurt and sadness fill Asterpaw, the she-cat did not flinch away.

"They may not have been from RockClan, but I've always felt they were good cats," she said. "I believe they left me, Pebblepaw and Starlingpaw to be found by RockClan for good reason."

They fell silent, eyes trained on the sleeping forms of Otterheart and Beetlewatcher. The tabby she-cat lay still, only murmuring the occasional 'StarClan' in her sleep. Their new leader, however, twitched continuously, rolling this way and that as he dreamed. Martenfur wondered what the tom was seeing and if their warrior ancestors would visit him. Would he see Shortwhisker, the medicine cat killed by a cougar while attending to his Clan duties? Would he be visited by Jayflight and Greywind, the tom devoured by flames and his loving mate who would not leave him behind? The great Hazelstar who he himself had only heard stories about? And, perhaps most importantly, would Sparrowstar herself come to see him off into his new life as RockClan's leader?

"Do you ever think that some things, even the unexplainable ones, happen for a reason?" Asterpaw's small voice cut through the moonlight filled air, the question heavy in the otherwise light room.

Martenfur pondered this for a while before replying, "I think only StarClan knows that."

The apprentice just nodded in response, accepting the words immediately. Before today, Martenfur spoke to the apprentice only once, but already he could see the immense faith she carried in both RockClan and their warrior ancestors. It made him hopeful that the Clan would see better days following the tragic event of Sparrowstar's death. If everyone believed in StarClan the way Asterpaw did, there would be no disloyalty in the Clan. The red-brown warrior pondered this late into the night, long after the pretty apprentice fell into a slumber and Beetlewatcher's - now Beetlestar's - movements came to a stop.

Much later, in the early hours before dawn, his amber eyes caught the movement of a shape along the red walls and his ears heard a soft shimmering sound like that of dew drops bursting. He caught a faint whiff of smells foreign to him, the sweet and dusty scents of pines and falling leaves and bushy undergrowth. And there, on the other side of the cave, the faint flicker of a tortoiseshell pelt as the sound of paws faded away.

* * *

**A/N: A lot more character development and not so much action in this chapter, but I hope it helped to shed some light on the characters, especially Martenfur and Asterpaw. You need to know your characters before digging into the action, after all ;) Let me know what you think about characters vs. plot, and which one you find more important or would like to see more of!**

**\- Spirit**


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 ❖ Pebblepaw**

Leaves swirled around the apprentice's form as he ran, falling back to the ground almost immediately afterwards as if never disturbed in the first place. Faint, grey clouds of mist appeared in front of his nose as he puffed from the effort of his movements, muscles straining beneath his fur. The ground underfoot felt unfamiliar, a combination of rustling leaves, soft moss and earth. Unaware of where he was, or where he headed, Pebblepaw pushed his way through the scraggly undergrowth.

Finally, he stopped at an oak, panting and out of breath. The tree loomed over him, taller than anything he had ever seen before. Its branches twisted and turned towards the heavens, almost bare of foliage in the cool leaf-bare air.

The surrounding trees were also bare, with the exception of a few with branches that hung lower to the ground. These ones - pines, if Pebblepaw remembered correctly - never lost their needles. The apprentice found it strange that trees should lose their covering before leaf-bare, thinking it made a lot more sense for them to keep it, in order to shelter themselves from the cold.

He scanned the surrounding forest, whiskers twitching as he picked up both familiar and unfamiliar scents. There was the scent of mouse, which made his mouth water, but also the smell of something sweet, a flower of some sort. Pebblepaw approached the flower, wondering if perhaps it could be used for medicinal purposes. It was bell-shaped and purple in colour, a tinge of green on its tiny form. On the same bush grew round, dark berries.

"Nightshade," said a voice from behind him, making him start. Turning quickly, he came face to face with a very familiar tortoiseshell.

"Sparrowstar?" he breathed. The former leader's green eyes sparkled mysteriously as she nodded her head. The apprentice, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, staggered towards her, pushing his nose into her shoulder.

"Nightshade," said another voice, causing Pebblepaw to step back. "Leaves a cat dead within the hour if ingested." A cat appeared next to Sparrowstar, this one a small, brown-furred tom. His amber eyes glowed from his dark face, fixing the medicine apprentice with a wise stare.

"This is Shortwhisker," Sparrowstar continued, eyes traveling between Pebblepaw and the tom. "I don't think any further introduction is required."

While Otterheart did not mention her mentor often, Pebblepaw knew much about him. The elders liked to tell stories about him, especially of his heroism in discovering coltsfoot as a cure for kittencough and his everyday kindness in ensuring the health of his Clanmates.

Shortwhisker chuckled at the awe in Pebblepaw's eyes. "Don't believe all the stories you hear about me. I was just a cat who lived to serve his Clan." The young apprentice averted his eyes, somewhat embarrassed.

"I've been watching you, you know," the old medicine cat added. "Your memory and organized mind surpass your young age. Don't let your weaknesses hold you back; you'd make a fine medicine cat someday." Pebblepaw felt a twinge of shame at the mention of his weaknesses and refused to meet Shortwhisker's eyes, though they shone with pride.

He turned to Sparrowstar instead. "Why are we here? What is this place?" His yellow eyes scanned the branches above once again, trying to remember the setting.

"You won't remember this forest," Sparrowstar purred, sitting down on the soft earth and curling her tail over her paws. "This was the original home of RockClan, before the Twolegs came to destroy it. Both Shortwhisker and I were born here and we thought that, perhaps, this might be the best place to bring you."

Pebblepaw's eyes widened. "Why would you need to bring me somewhere? I haven't left my nest in the medicine den, have I?"

"This is just a dream," Shortwhisker assured him. "We needed to speak with you."

"Why me?" the grey tom heard himself ask. "Otterheart is at Moon Cliffs tonight. Why not tell her?" He knew the question's answer, but asked it all the same.

Sparrowstar sighed. "Otterheart's faith in StarClan wavers, though it is slightly stronger now that I no longer run with RockClan. We - Shortwhisker and I - thought that a message of this caliber might be better suited for your ears."

Pebblepaw's eyes could not have grown any larger. "But I'm just an apprentice."

"'Just an apprentice', he says," Shortwhisker snorted. "From apprentices come great leaders, you know."

Sparrowstar nodded in agreement. "And, as a former leader, I want my apprentices to remain strong and one day lead the Clan. I worry that they may not get the chance." She paused, and Pebblepaw narrowed his eyes as her form began to fade away.

"RockClan has been searching for a new home for quite some time and, even now, they are not safe. Yet, there is a way to secure the Clan's future, and it lies within this prophecy."

The tortoiseshell stood, taking a step towards Pebblepaw. Her green eyes were focussed on him, yet they had a far away look, as if she were seeing past his form.

_"Clouds are swirling, a storm is near,_

_Sightless eyes watch the sun disappear._

_Ash and smoke and water rise,_

_The air is suddenly filled with flies._

_A fire rages, the heat unfelt,_

_The earth begins to shake and melt._

_A cat approaches - friend or foe?_

_It is up to you to know._

_A little rock wakes in strange dreams,_

_A small rodent is not what it seems._

_A flower with a nose so keen,_

_An ember knows what you truly mean._

_Two birds that will confuse all,_

_One with sight, the other with a call._

_They are what you need to find,_

_If you wish for survival for your kind._

_The time is near, do not wait,_

_Or you will leave it up to fate._

_An enemy lurks, unseen, unheard,_

_It's intentions remain undeterred._

_It comes from the outside, it might have appeared,_

_Yet, the one on the inside is to be most feared._

_A battle that washes the canyon blood red,_

_Perhaps it was easier to move on instead?"_

The scene before Pebblepaw's eyes began to shift, the brown trunk of the trees swirling before his eyes and becoming water. It flowed underneath his paws, glittering playfully as it washed him away. He found himself on an island not long after, its banks lined with cattails, their fuzzy brown heads swaying lightly in the breeze.

Then, those too disappeared, and became long stalks of grass that stretched on for as far as the apprentice could see. In the distance, a plume of smoke that grew larger and larger until the grass became red and crackled with murderous intent. Coughing and shrinking back from the heat of the flames, Pebblepaw leaped to his paws, turning away from the all-consuming fire.

Before him was a cave, dark and gloomy, the gray rock of it crumbling underneath the paws of a giant cat. It pulled its ears back at the sight of him and bared its yellow teeth, eyes narrowing as it leaped. When Pebblepaw looked once more, the gray of the cave had become the familiar red rock of the canyon.

His stomach filled with dread as his eyes surveyed his home. Instead of the solid red rock the apprentice knew, the canyon seemed to be moving, slowly melting down into a puddle of red. Not wanting to believe his eyes, Pebblepaw turned away, but the metallic taste filled his mouth all the same.

He could not get away, too paralyzed with fear to think clearly. The rock beneath his paws shifted, swallowing his paws up. He retched uncontrollably, fighting against the force that threatened to submerge him.

"Sparrowstar!" he cried. A sob wracked his chest as the blood continued to suck at him, pulling him in further and further.

"I'm here." The scene ended abruptly and Pebblepaw woke to the comfort of his den. The former leader stood before him, stars shimmering in place of her tortoiseshell pelt.

"I don't understand," Pebblepaw said, shaking. "You should have given this prophecy to Beetlewatcher. Shouldn't you be with him right now, giving him his nine lives?"

"Beetlestar is ready to lead his Clan," was her response. "The question is, are you ready to serve as its medicine cat?" The stars twinkled once before disappearing and, with one last flash of her green eyes, Sparrowstar vanished. This left Pebblepaw to stare out the entrance to his den, where the dark and heavy clouds hung in the sky, floating just above the canyon walls.

"Clouds are swirling, a storm is near," Pebblepaw said quietly, feeling the weight of the words on his tongue. As if in response, the sky rumbled.

* * *

**A/N: A little bit of a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same! The prophecy is not structured how most Warriors prophecies are (which I'm sure most of you noticed). Is it a good kind of different or a bad one? Do I need to work on my prophecy/poetry writing skills? :P On another note, is it enticing and makes you want to know what it means? Any and all answers to these questions are much appreciated!**

**\- Spirit**


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 ❖ Emberpaw**

"Littlepaw, duck!"

Emberpaw hissed in frustration as the white apprentice rolled out from underneath her claws. Instead of hitting her target, the she-cat sailed over her training partner's form, landing heavily on the rocks beyond. In front of her stood Beartooth, who had taken over her training for the day.

"It was a good pounce," the old tabby warrior said. "The only thing I would do is keep lower to the ground. Then, if your target decides to move, you still have a chance of skimming it with your claws."

"Or you don't end up hitting the ground so hard afterwards," said Mapleblossom's cheerful voice from behind Emberpaw.

The tortoiseshell rounded on Littlepaw's mentor. "Well, I wouldn't have had to hit the ground at all had someone not tipped Littlepaw off." The warrior at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty, but shrugged it off with a, '_you would have shredded him to bits otherwise_,' and called another practice round of battle.

Grumpily, Emberpaw crouched down, ready to spring at her littermate once more. Had she really been dragged out of her nest before dawn for this? While she loved battle training, even that did not justify getting up before the sun. To make matters worse, the camp woke up to rain, which stained the red rocks with darker splotches and created a chill in the air that got under her fur. After only two practice rounds, the apprentice was soaked, her heavy fur slowing her down.

Littlepaw's short fur gave him advantage, but the tom rarely did well during training. Earlier, Emberpaw caught him shivering, either from the cold or because of his cowardliness when it came to teeth and claws. She was more willing to believe the latter.

A flash of white passed on her left side, missing her by a fox-length. The she-cat snorted at Littlepaw's lack of aim and got to her paws, swinging around to face her opponent. He had a look of determination on his face and Emberpaw watched it dissolve as she bunched her legs beneath her and sprang, tackling him to the ground.

The tortoiseshell took Beartooth's advice, keeping herself lower to the ground, giving Littlepaw less time to move. The white tom attempted to dodge her but, for once, was not quick enough. Emberpaw used her water-logged fur to her advantage, bringing down her full weight upon the other apprentice. He squirmed beneath her as she bared her fangs at him, claws digging in slightly beneath the fur on his small shoulders. The tortoiseshell could feel his terror coursing through her.

_Don't hurt me,_ she could hear him thinking. _You're my sister, you wouldn't hurt me. Family doesn't hurt each other._ The area behind Emberpaw's ear throbbed, reminding her of the scar Palethorn left her with after her first training assessment.

The she-cat growled. "Just wait until you battle Palethorn." She snapped her jaws closed, the sound her fangs made as they clicked against each other making the tom beneath her wince.

"I think that's enough for one day," Mapleblossom called, hurrying over to check on her apprentice. Littlepaw shook uncontrollably, staring at Emberpaw with large green eyes. She turned away, wondering why Palethorn hated her so much when Littlepaw refused to fight back. For some reason, their father still viewed her as the weak one.

"Let's head back," Beartooth growled. "This rain is making my bones ache."

Emberpaw fell into step with the large tabby as they traveled back to the camp, admiring the strength the senior warrior still held. Even though he was the oldest warrior in the Clan, he could still best the other warriors in just about anything battle-related. Despite his skills in battle, the tom did not boast of them and only showcased his talents when asked by one of the mentors to attend a training session.

"You're a promising fighter, you know," Beartooth said after a while. Mapleblossom and Littlepaw walked a little further behind, the mottled she-cat urging her apprentice to try his luck at hunting in the rain. Emberpaw blocked out Littlepaw's thoughts of self-doubt before the urge to snap at him grew any larger.

"Thank you," she replied to the tabby's praise. She knew battle to be her calling; while she had trouble understanding hunting techniques, skills used in battle came naturally to her. Even as a kit, she won every playfight.

"I've never seen an apprentice adapt their technique so quickly," he continued. "Keep it up and you'll be the finest warrior in the Clan."

"Better than you?" she shot back.

"Only when I've gone to join StarClan," Beartooth replied, pouncing onto her without warning. Instincts kicking in, Emberpaw swerved to avoid his claws, flattening herself against the ground and scurrying underneath the larger cat to avoid being crushed by his weight. Though she was rather large for a she-cat her age, the warrior was three times her size.

The tabby landed lightly, his amber eyes alight with mischief. "You're quick, as well as strong; a good mix of your mother and father. Perhaps you will best me before I join StarClan." The apprentice felt herself swelling with pride, though a pang spread through her chest at the mention of her parents.

Beartooth went off to find Runningheart as soon as they got back to camp, eager to give the ginger tabby a report on Emberpaw's progress. Though training under the old warrior's watchful eye was an honour, the apprentice found herself missing her mentor's competitions.

Emberpaw's stomach growled and she debated whether to make her way over to the fresh-kill pile, swarmed by the returning dawn patrols. Sighing, the she-cat waited, refusing to worm her way through their midst. The idea of blocking out all those thoughts made her lose some of her appetite.

She regretted her decision soon after.

"I heard you beat Littlepaw up," Whitepaw growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

Emberpaw held his gaze steadily with her matching one. "And I'll make sure to do the same to you whenever we train together again." Frostfur and Runningheart, seeing how aggressive their apprentices got during training sessions, decided to separate them for a while.

Her brother's left ear flicked back, a cue Emberpaw had picked up on. Before he could pounce, her paw flashed out, claws catching the ends of his long whiskers. Startled, the tom jumped back.

"You missed." The look on his face was smug, but the she-cat could hear his racing heartbeat from where she was sitting.

"I wish I hadn't," she replied, curling her lip back. The satisfaction of clawing her hateful brother would be great, but not enough to outweight the consequences.

Emberpaw remained still as Whitepaw approached her once more, not even flinching as his paw shot out and caught her on the ear. His claws remained sheathed, but the hard pad left a sting in the tender flesh.

_What a piece of crowfood_, she heard the white tom think before he turned and disappeared, Littlepaw in tow. The petty show of dominance over, Emberpaw made her way to the apprentice den.

She found Asterpaw there, curled up in her nest. Emberpaw couldn't help but feel jealous of her, wishing Beetlestar chose her to go to Moon Cliffs instead. The pretty she-cat did not have a single bit of Clan blood in her, yet she was the leader's apprentice, the sweetheart of the Clan, and the star hunter among the apprentices.

Everyone in the Clan loved her. It made Emberpaw wonder what it was like to be perfect.

The tortoiseshell curled up in her nest, hardly feeling the warmth of the desert moss through her chilled fur. She felt terribly cold, both inside and out. An emptiness replaced the pride she'd felt at Beartooth's praised, one she knew well. She felt it for the first time when her mother, Lichencloud, died and her father's gaze turned cool and distant.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Emberpaw curled herself tighter, squeezing her eyes shut. Sleep was the only way she could get away from this emptiness.

But sleep was a flighty thing, especially for someone like her. Getting rid of the thoughts in her own head was hard enough; getting rid of the thoughts of others was even harder. She had limited control over them, only enough to keep them at bay. Sometimes, more prominent thoughts flitted through her head, loud enough to hear full sentences or certain words. The rest of the time they turned into a constant buzzing, as if there were bees trapped in her skull.

Tired of pushing everything back, Emberpaw let her walls down, the outside thoughts flooding in. She only heard parts, one thought cut off by another. Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether the voices in her head thought these thoughts or said them aloud. The thought of each Clan member remained in their voice, whether they were speaking to her directly or their thoughts infiltrated her mind.

_This rain isn't so bad_, came Ripplestream's high voice. _The kits can have some fun playing in it and the stream will grow larger. Perhaps this isn't such a bad place after all._

_This rain better not last long_, thought Leafpelt. _The prey will disappear._

_Patrols need to be organized..._ Redblaze was cut off by another's thoughts.

_Now, to convince Beetlestar to_ -

Emberpaw growled as the voice of Palethorn filled her head and the walls came back up again. It surprised her that she heard his thoughts at all, as he normally kept a tight reign on what went on inside his head. After the initial shock passed, the apprentice found herself cursing the fact she had not listened on.

Deciding to try again, she let the walls down once more, attempting to filter through the many thoughts of her Clanmates and reach the pale warrior once more. After what felt like moons of searching she found nothing, only other remarks about the weather and complaints from patrols as they returned to camp.

Yet, amongst all of the boring, everyday ongoings, Emberpaw found one voice that repeated the same lines over and over, as if memorizing them. They had a certain rhythm, every two lines rhyming. Emberpaw listened as the medicine apprentice struggled to remember - _amber? or ember?_ \- and the rhythm lulled her to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: A quick look into Emberpaw's thoughts - what did you think? Is her 'power' believable (as far a powers go, that is)? I'd love to hear some thoughts on Emberpaw's character and the relaionships she has with her Clanmates :)**


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 ❖ Asterpaw**

She was woken by the prodding of a very persistent paw, which caused her to groan as she blinked her eyes open. The glow of two amber orbs broke the dim light of the den, a warmth entering them when the tom noticed she had stirred.

"Redblaze wants you on a patrol," he said simply, pausing to see her reaction. Asterpaw nodded, opening her jaws wide in a yawn. It was not everyday she got to escort the future leader to Moon Cliffs. Stretching, she shook some of the desert moss out of her fur and followed Leafpelt out of the apprentice den.

The sky was dark, filled with gray clouds that hung low over the canyon walls. Asterpaw wondered how long she slept for and silently berated herself for overlooking her apprentice duties. Though her mind stayed fuzzy with the remnants of sleep, she gladly followed Leafpelt down to the Fallen Tree, even happier to learn that she would be joining a hunting patrol.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Morningbreeze teased, flicking her silver tail over the apprentice's nose. "You're not going to catch any mice with your head in the clouds." The soft fur tickled and Asterpaw sneezed, causing Leafpelt to purr in amusement.

"Morningbreeze, try the cliff side above the camp," Redblaze said, giving directions to each patrol. "Avoid the Carrion Place and stick to the plains." The warrior she-cat gave a brief nod before swishing her tail in the direction of the cliff path and setting off at a brisk pace. Asterpaw followed, Leafpelt bringing up the rear.

The silver she-cat was fast, and Asterpaw found herself scrambling to keep up with her. Her paws thumped against the hard rock of the path as they traveled up it, past the medicine den where Asterpaw saw a brief flash of her brother's worried eyes, and up to the edge of the cliff face that made up their home.

A light breeze rustled their fur, the air colder above the canyon walls. The apprentice breathed in the scents it brought with it, careful not to get too carried away should she have another vision.

The rocks underfoot slowly turned to grass, coarse and yellow and easily broken under their paws. She heard a soft rustling here and there, but could not determine whether it was prey or simply the wind playing tricks. The patrol stopped where the grass was tall, the copse of trees near Carrion Place visible over the tops of the blades.

"We will split up here," Morningbreeze announced. "I want you two to stick together. We meet back at the edge of the cliff when it begins to grow dark." Asterpaw opened her mouth in protest, about to assure the she-cat that she could handle hunting on her own, but the she-cat's tail disappeared into the grasses before she could say a word.

"We'd better get a start on hunting," Leafpelt said, head tilted back to look at the sky. "I don't like the look of those clouds." Asterpaw followed his lead, observing the swirling of the clouds above. Nodding, she resigned herself to hunting with her partner.

Scenting the air, she caught the faint scents of rabbits and mice, but all were masked by the damp scent of soil. All of the prey seemed to be hiding from the coming storm, leaving the two Clan cats to scrape at the ground in search of their burrows. It was Leafpelt who found a burrow first, practically stepping into it.

"Where do you think the other side of it is?" he asked, lowering himself to the ground to peer through the grasses. In his moment of distraction, Asterpaw leaned down to scent the rabbit hole and, lifting her head away, almost immediately located the connecting one.

"I think it's this way," she said, padding a couple of foxlengths to the right. Sure enough, the opening gaped before her. Looking up at Leafpelt, the apprentice thought she saw a certain look in his eye - admiration, perhaps? Then, his eyes shifted over her small body and back to the rabbit hole, a thoughtful expression on his face, and she knew it had nothing to do with her, only the plan he was putting together. He always planned ahead.

"Do you think you could fit in there?" he asked. Asterpaw considered this, sticking her head into the hole, whiskers twitching as her nose met the smell of earth. If she flattened herself, she might be able to make it through. If the tunnel narrowed, however, she would be stuck in the burrow with no way out. As eager as she was to hunt for her Clan and return with mouthfuls of prey, she felt uncomfortable crawling around burrows.

"Not if the passage narrows," she replied, wondering what the methodical tom's next idea would be.

He nodded. "We can either scare the rabbit out then, by making loud noises, or clog one of the entrances with grass." The tom looked at her expectantly and Asterpaw realized he wanted her input. The other younger warriors, like Badgerclaw and Silverhawk, usually made decisions by themselves when paired with apprentices.

The she-cat considered their options. "Do we want this rabbit quickly or are we willing to wait?"

Before Leafpelt could reply, an ominous rumbling sounded overhead. Somewhere off in the distance, she could smell something burning. Time was of the essence.

"I'll scare, you catch," Leafpelt said, following her train of thought. She nodded, getting into position before the hole in the ground. Her nose twitched in anticipation, the smell of rabbit filling her senses and making her mouth water.

Hearing Leafpelt's snarls as he attempted to scare the large rodent, Asterpaw unsheathed her claws, ready to make the kill if the rabbit tried to escape. In the distance, another three cracks of thunder filled the sky, but she remained still even though the sound startled her.

Still, nothing. Leafpelt had, by this point, resorted to ridiculous mews and something akin to the hissing of a snake, but still the rabbit refused to come out of hiding. It remained hidden, the soft scent of it buried by the more prominent ones of wet earth.

"I think we'll have to start heading back soon," she called. "It's getting dark."

Just then, a brown and white shape rushed past her, eyes staring wildly ahead as it leaped through the tall grasses. With an exasperated growl, Asterpaw took off after it, Leafpelt right behind her. Older and larger, Leafpelt soon overtook her, tailing the rabbit so closely he could almost snag its tail with a claw.

With one great leap, the tabby jumped over the rabbit's form, landing right before it. Wheeling about, terrified, the rabbit hopped straight into Asterpaw's waiting claws, where it met a swift end. Breathing hard, the two hunters nodded at each other over the dead rabbit.

A sharp crack in the sky, much louder than the previous ones, snapped them out of their triumph. The smell of smoke hit Asterpaw hard and she coughed, feeling as if the scent were choking her. A streak of red flashed through her mind briefly before she shut out the vision. In the second it lasted, she recognized the red as the fur of a familiar cat.

"We'd better get going," Leafpelt said, picking up their kill. "That storm's coming quick."

Still trying her hardest to block out the vision, Asterpaw nodded, following along behind the young warrior as the smell of smoke and water grew all around them.

* * *

The medicine den was warm when Asterpaw entered it, shivering beneath her drenched fur. No sooner had she and Leafpelt turned in the direction of camp, than the sky opened up, releasing a torrential rain that soaked both of them to the bone within seconds. Morningbreeze ordered the apprentice to the medicine den as soon as they returned, fearing her sneezes would turn into chills.

In truth, the sneezes were a result of the overwhelming smells surrounding her in the storm. Here, in the medicine den, they ceased, the scents somewhat blocked by the stone walls of the den.

"Asterpaw?" came the soft call of her brother from the medicine storage. The light tabby padded over to him, where he sat in front of a pile of herbs, sorting each one into its proper place. She watched, mesmerized by how methodical he was with his task.

He stopped suddenly, turning his worry-filled yellow eyes to her.

"What happened?" she asked, realizing something was wrong. She sat down to await his response, as Pebblepaw usually had a hard time coming up with the proper words to describe his worries.

"Sparrowstar came to me in a dream," he whispered, looking about the medicine den to ensure that no one else was present. Asterpaw's green eyes widened.

"She came with Shortwhisker to give me a prophecy," Pebblepaw continued, causing his sister to gasp. "I remembered it only this morning, but now it's gone again. I've been repeating it over and over, but I just can't seem to memorize it. It'll come and go and, anytime I get close to telling Otterheart about it, it disappears."

Asterpaw gazed at her brother. Her brother, a medicine cat apprentice, receiving prophecies from StarClan before even being given his full name. She felt pride at the thought, but consternation as well.

"Maybe StarClan wants you to keep it a secret," she replied quietly. "Do you remember anything from it now?"

Pebblepaw's whiskers twitched and he nodded slowly. "A little bit, I think. It starts with, 'clouds are swirling, a storm is near...'" Asterpaw listened intently as he continued, scrunching up her nose at the puzzles and twists the prophecy presented.

"Sightless eyes watch the sun disappear," she said when he'd finished. "How can sightless eyes see anything?" Pebblepaw shook his head, not knowing the answer.

"That's the first time I've said it aloud to someone else," he said quietly. "Maybe StarClan wants you to know about it too."

A small mewl from the back of the medicine den startled Asterpaw before she could reply and she turned, searching out its source. The small grey tom rushed past her to a corner of the den where something lay on a bed of moss and she recognized the kitten Starlingpaw had found.

"She's dying," Pebblepaw said sadly. "Otterheart says there's nothing we can do to draw out the infection."

Asterpaw nodded, the smell of the kit's infection reaching her even now. Beneath it, she could make out a familiar scent, too masked by the other to scent clearly. Somewhere, at the back of her mind, she felt the scent unleashing an image.

Blocking it out quickly, she turned back to Pebblepaw. "Has she said anything? Have you asked her any questions?"

Pebblepaw shook his head. "Otterheart tried, but the kit was too weak to even nod or shake her head. There's really nothing we can do." The two siblings gazed at the little kit, watching as she curled up tighter in her moss nest, life slowly leaving her in short, small breaths.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about the prophecy," Pebblepaw whispered.

"I promise," Asterpaw replied without hesitation. If there was one thing her visions had taught her, it was that she could keep secrets.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, an update! Unfortunately, I'm out of pre-written chapters now, so the next one might be a long time coming, what with midterms coming up. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, especially the teamwork between Asterpaw and Leafpelt and Pebblepaw's growing list of responsibilities :)**

**\- Spirit**


	13. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 ❖ Kestrelkit**

Kestrelkit woke the next morning to cold and wet air, but refused to let it dampen her spirit on this particular day. Even if the late greenleaf storm of the previous night were still raging, she would be just as bright-eyed and excited, eagerly awaiting her apprentice ceremony.

She had overheard Beetlestar speaking with Dapplefur last night, when the black tom and calico queen thought she was fast asleep. Instead, the little ginger kit brought into the camp a few days earlier had been on her mind. Her dreams were dotted with splotches of ginger and tortoiseshell fur, and she always woke wondering if the kit would make it out alive, even though she knew it wouldn't.

Yawning wide, Kestrelkit lifted herself to her paws and made her way to the entrance of the den. The bustling of the camp told her the dawn patrols had returned, and they milled about the centre of camp. Ripplestream and Dapplefur still dozed in their nests and Brightkit and Skykit rolled about in the mud outside of the nursery.

"Kestrelkit!" both of the smaller kits squealed when the tortoiseshell came into view. She flicked her ear to acknowledge she heard them, but turned her head in the direction of a cool breeze that floated through the canyon. It tugged at her whiskers with its breath, pulling her fur back and whistling past her ears. She loved this feeling and found herself enjoying it immensely - until a splash of mud came up, accompanied by two small bodies.

Groaning, Kestrelkit rolled out from underneath the other kits, shaking out her dirty fur. The mud weighed down her body and she suddenly felt self-conscious and small. She wanted to look her best for her apprentice ceremony, even if she couldn't check her reflection in the stream.

Twisting around in an effort to lick the gunk off, she found herself struggling to reach most of it. Off to her left she could hear the giggles of the other two kits as they watched their denmate's antics, apparently finding her discomfort amusing. Kestrelkit ignored them, going about her cleaning as best as she could and refusing to let her special day be ruined.

"Kestrelkit, what have I told you about playing in the mud?" Her mother's exasperated voice drifted from the nursery. Kestrelkit protested, her explanations cut off by her mother's rough tongue.

When the kit's fur was clean enough for Dapplefur's standards, she stepped back, observing her only kit.

"Your father would have been so proud," Dapplefur said. Kestrelkit purred softly, though her pelt still burned with embarrassment. She licked her chest fur to hide it, muttering a thank you.

"Now, are you ready for your ceremony?" There was hesitation in her mother's voice and, somewhere deep down, Kestrelkit knew that the queen half wanted her daughter to say no, to stay in the safety of the nursery for a moon or two more.

But Kestrelkit knew that today was the day. The idea of sitting in the nursery with Brightkit and Skykit for so much as another day made her want to run as fast as her legs would carry her. A whole other world lay there, waiting to be explored.

"Yes," Kestrelkit replied, holding her head high.

"Good," came a deep purr from her right and she swivelled her ears towards Beetlestar. She heard a thump as he leaped onto the Fallen Tree and spoke the usual words that called the rest of the Clan to the centre of the camp.

The tortoiseshell kit stepped forward shakily and, though she had walked this very path from the nursery to the Fallen Tree many times before, she suddenly felt uncertain. What if today, of all days, she did something wrong? She was enough of a laughing stock for some in the Clan as it was.

Her mother nudged her forward gently and Kestrelkit began to move, keeping her paw steps even and purposeful as she approached the centre of the camp. It took all of her effort to make her fur lie flat as she felt the eyes of RockClan turn to her. She worried that her divided attention would cause her to bump into something - or someone.

Instead, she heard the soft shifting of paws and fur as they moved out of her way, watching her pass through before closing their ranks behind her. Kestrelkit stopped when she felt the ground change from hard rock to that of a sandy nature, knowing she was close to the Fallen Tree. She felt the sand shift as Dapplefur settled down behind her, giving her kit one last swift lick before turning her attention to Beetlestar.

"Kestrelkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." The small tortoiseshell turned her head in the direction of her leader, heart pounding an anxious rhythm in her chest.

"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Kestrelpaw. Your mentor will be Gentlefern and it is my hope that she will pass down all she knows to you."

As Beetlestar went to address the warrior she-cat, Kestrelpaw let out the breath she had not realized she was holding in. The possibilities of having Palethorn as her mentor, who terrified her, or someone like Silverhawk, who called her names, no longer ran through her head. Gentlefern was a good match, if there ever was one.

"Gentlefern, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be kind and patient and you will be mentor to Kestrelpaw. I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The newly named apprentice felt a nose touch her forehead and she lifted her own up to meet it, a small purr escaping her as the anxiety faded away.

"We'll take a tour of the territory tomorrow," her new mentor said kindly. "Hopefully the sky clears by then." Kestrelpaw nodded eagerly, excited to get to know her Clan's borders.

"Why would a blind apprentice need a tour?" The snarky comment came from somewhere behind her and the she-cat recognized it to be the voice of Silverhawk, one of the younger warriors. Kestrelpaw felt her excitement begin to fade, the good mood she woke up in completely dissipated.

"It's not like she'll see anything anyway," added Badgerclaw, the silver warrior she-cat's brother.

"It's no wonder you two are terrible at hunting," butted in another voice. "Seems your noses and ears don't even work half as well as they should." Kestrelpaw, shocked, realized it was Emberpaw, one of the more gruff she-cats in the Clan.

The two warriors were silent, a strange thing for them; had they been admonished by any other apprentice, they would have fought back. Kestrelpaw turned in Emberpaw's direction, about to thank her, but the loud growl of Palethorn cut her off.

"My question is if there's even a point to showing her the territory." A thud sounded as the tom jumped up onto the Fallen Tree next to Beetlestar. "The prey is slowly disappearing, it's been raining for days, and the leader who brought us here is dead." The rest of the Clan fell silent and Kestrelpaw pricked her ears.

"I propose that we leave this place while we still can," the tom continued. "There must be plenty of places where we could settle without having to worry about the heat killing us or our supposed 'prey' striking back."

Before he could continue, Beetlestar cut in. "Yes, there are many places. In the past two season cycles, we've been through four of them."

"Palethorn has a point," Frostfur called. "Those last four territories cost us many good cats. Maybe, if we leave now, we could prevent more from being taken from us."

"Who is to say that this time we'll be forced to leave?" said Morningbreeze. "We could very well be leaving the one place that is safe."

"But do we really want to endanger the lives of our kits?" Ripplestream's voice was high-pitched and nervous.

"StarClan would send us a sign if we were not safe here," Beartooth assured the queen.

The comments continued and, to Kestrelpaw, the argument seemed pointless. She remembered the stories Thistleclaw and Goldfur told of the forest where RockClan - then OakClan - used to live and of all of the battles they fought. There had been foxes and badgers, dogs and Twolegs, and many brave cats died for their Clan. Death was inevitable, no matter where the Clan went.

If someone were able to tell just how many cats would die here, however...

The tortoiseshell pushed the thought aside, remembering Silverhawk's snide comment. Kestrelpaw refused to expose a part of herself that would make her even more of an outsider than she already was.

"You would lead this Clan to believe that it is safe here, when it clearly isn't?" Palethorn said loudly, cutting into the apprentice's thoughts. She felt her fur bristle and, from the sudden sense of discomfort in the air, knew she was not the only one.

"The Clan is safe here," Beetlestar replied, a note of tension in his usually calm voice.

This seemed to anger Palethorn further, a growl escaping from his throat. Before he could retort, another voice joined in.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you suggesting that our leader is incapable of leading?" Martenfur's voice rang out loud and clear over the assembled cats. A murmur went up among them and, even to Kestrelpaw's young ears, the challenge in Martenfur's voice was evident. The tom received no answer from the older warrior.

"Please return to your Clan duties," Beetlestar said in a clipped tone, landing lightly on the floor of the canyon. Paws shuffled as the Clan rose, some of its members brushing past Kestrelpaw and congratulating her. All walked away with that same feeling of anxiety clinging to their fur.

She nodded respectfully in thanks but, though her Clanmates surrounded her, the apprentice felt strangely isolated. A mixture of disappointment and hurt filled her, the one day she thought would make her feel special spoiled by an argument.

She could tell it had caused a rift within the Clan. Even now, she could hear Beetlestar pacing about his den and the soft voice of Morningbreeze as she tried to speak with him, while Palethorn and Frostfur whispered angrily to each other not too far off.

A crack of thunder sounded overhead, crashing through her thoughts, and Kestrelpaw felt a single drop of water fall onto her nose. Sighing, she rose to return to her den before realizing that she didn't know where it was anymore. The nursery no longer offered her shelter and, though she knew that staying a kit forever was impossible, she missed her warm nest there already.

Feeling somewhat lost, she began to make her way in the direction she thought led to the apprentice den. A soft growl stopped her and Kestrelpaw felt her fur bristle, the feeling of someone's eyes on her making her uncomfortable.

"Come on, I'll show you to our den," said her observer. The new apprentice, for the second time that day, did not get the chance to thank Emberpaw as the older she-cat moved quickly away, leading her to her new nest.

* * *

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the late update, but life got in the way a little (the details of which I won't bore you with here). Instead, why don't you let me know what you thought of this chapter? I find Kestrelkit very challenging to write because I feel like I can't use visuals, since she's blind. I do hope that I got her emotions across though, as well as the general tension in the air. Thanks for reading!**

**\- Spirit**


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 ❖ Starlingpaw**

The droplets of rain that began to fall after Kestrelpaw's apprentice ceremony transformed into a torrential downpour in a matter of seconds. From the safety of the apprentice den, Starlingpaw watched as the water streaked through the air, blurring everything around her. The red rock of the canyon turned a dull orange in the storm and swelled the stream flowing through the centre of camp now double its size. Though the rain would undoubtedly soak her through in seconds, Starlingpaw loved the sound it made as it drummed against the canyon floor.

She sighed, paws itching to do something. Redblaze gave her the day off, saying that the rain would make both hunting and battle training difficult. Pebblepaw shot her down when the brief thought to visit the little ginger kit crossed her mind. Otterheart warned that she did not have the herbs to cure everyone of chills or fever, so anyone who wasn't absolutely required to leave the camp should stay put.

"I don't understand what's so fascinating about that rain," came a voice from behind her and Starlingpaw rolled her eyes, turning to face Whitepaw. He and his brother, Littlepaw, were sitting as far away from the den entrance as possible. On the opposite side of the den, Kestrelpaw and Emberpaw slept in their nests.

Keeping her voice low so as not to wake them, Starlingpaw replied, "I like the sound it makes and how everything blurs when it rains. Besides, maybe I'm just bored and have nothing better to do than watch it." She cocked her head to the side, curling her black tail over her white paws.

Whitepaw considered this. "Well, you could always go hunting out in that rain. If you can find any prey, that is." He twitched his whiskers into a sneer and Starlingpaw shot him a glare. Who was he to comment on her hunting skills, anyway? She brought back more prey than him five times out of six during training.

"Jealous that I'm a better hunter than you?" she growled back. Littlepaw's green eyes were flicking back and forth between the two cats nervously.

"Maybe I'm just stating the fact that prey is running low because of this rain." Whitepaw shrugged his broad shoulders.

Starlingpaw thought of the swelling river in the canyon and how much of the prey must be hiding to escape from the cold and wet air. Yet, the hunting patrols brought back a decent amount of prey the previous day, with Asterpaw and Leafpelt's rabbit being the largest. Then, she remembered the argument of that morning between Palethorn and Beetlestar.

"You don't seriously believe Palethorn, do you?" she mewed. The she-cat watched in disbelief as the two toms exchanged a look that told her they clearly did.

She snorted. "The Clan is clearly safer here than it is anywhere else. We've been here for over eight moons, which is already longer than any of the other places BrokenClan tried on their journey."

"Yes, we've been here for eight moons," Whitepaw cut in. "Don't know how long you've been around these parts for though."

The black she-cat felt a twinge of annoyance. "I'm only eight moons old. I've been here my whole life. Besides, what would you know of the other territories? You were only two moons old when you left the mountains."

"At least I was a part of the Clan before coming here. You wouldn't know what it's like to live anywhere else."

"Is Kestrelpaw not part of the Clan? What about Brightkit and Skykit - they were born here too!" Starlingpaw knew her voice was getting louder, but she didn't care.

Whitepaw was stumped for a moment, but Littlepaw answered for him. "That's different! They're Clan born."

If not for the fact that clawing their ears off would get her into trouble, Starlingpaw would have flung herself onto them in a heartbeat. She had to content herself with stalking up to them, eyes glinting and tail lashing angrily.

"I'm just as much a part of this Clan as you are," she hissed, finding her claws digging into the rock floor of the den.

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Whitepaw's eyes shone with contempt and amusement.

"And how would you like me to do that?"

The two toms exchanged a look before the larger one gave her her challenge: "Bring us back a piece of prey by sunset. Then we'll see just how much you're contributing to this Clan."

Though Starlingpaw still felt angry and indignant, she hesitated for a moment. The sudden sound of thunder reminded her that, if someone caught her leaving the camp alone in this weather, she'd be stuck cleaning the elders' den and nursery for moons.

"Scared?" That one word was enough to spur her forward. With one last glare in the direction of the two white apprentices, she pushed her way out into the rain.

The camp was ghostly still, not a cat in sight. Only the sound of rain permeated the air and, underneath it, the faint sounds of snoring that came from the warriors den above her. Quietly, Starlingpaw began to climb the path towards the cliff's edge.

When she reached the top, she felt as if the wind would topple her over. The rain fell more strongly here with less resistance from the cliff walls and Starlingpaw found no cover from the elements. Her only chance at shelter and, hopefully, prey, lay in the copse of trees near Carrion Place; in the canyon, the prey hid in the hollows and cracks, out of reach. Turning in the trees' direction, Starlingpaw set off through the long grasses, keeping herself low to the ground.

Each crack of thunder made her tremble and the cold rain made her shiver. Her ribs stuck out from the fur plastered to her body, making her look like an underfed loner. The thought of returning to camp crossed her mind multiple times, but she remembered Whitepaw's taunts and refused to let him win. She was too proud or, otherwise, too stupid to return without any prey.

Even before she reached Carrion Place, she knew her chances of finding prey were slim. Her sensitive hearing told her that the scampering paws of mice traveled underground or, in the cases of a couple of squirrels, within the trees.

Sighing in resignation, Starlingpaw decided to warm herself up first before attempting to catch some prey. She only had until sunset - whenever that was, in this StarClan forsaken storm.

The trees provided some shelter from the rain, but the leaf-littered ground was wet and her paws were already aching with the cold. Leaping up onto a low-hanging branch of the nearest oak, she curled herself up into a tight ball, hoping to keep at least some of her body heat from escaping.

No sooner had she hidden herself from view than she heard a new sound: the sound of soft pawsteps. Lifting her head ever so slightly to peer down from her perch, Starlingpaw saw a figure come into view. She felt her fur beginning to bristle, realizing that Whitepaw must have told one of the warriors she was missing.

But the cat that came into view was not one she recognized. He was broad-shouldered, with large paws and a thick tail that swayed back and forth as he walked. The tom looked about twice her age, maybe more, and, if it came to it, would win a fight against her. If he noticed her, she was as good as dead.

As luck would have it, a squirrel chose that exact moment to skitter down the tree trunk, flying over Starlingpaw's head and landing on the ground right below her. Before she could stop herself, the she-cat dropped down after it, landing squarely on its small back and breaking it with a crunch. A second later, a large grey shape barrelled into her and she found herself flattened to the ground, two massive paws on either side of her head.

The bared teeth of the tom disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion as he gazed down at her with yellow eyes. Starlingpaw stared back with her matching ones, triumph at having caught a piece of prey replaced by fear.

"You're not a squirrel," the tom said, bemused. "What are you doing here?" He sniffed at her suspiciously.

"Hunting." Starlingpaw's reply came out as a squeak as the larger cat pushed his nose into her throat.

The tom's expression soured. "You're one of those Clan cats from the canyon, aren't you?" His eyes narrowed and the she-cat gulped, realizing he did not speak of RockClan fondly.

"What would you do if I was?" she asked, dreading the answer even before the words were out of her mouth.

Starlingpaw thought she saw the tom's whiskers twitch in amusement before he gave his response. "Well, I could claw your ears off. I could take your prey. I could kill you, if I really wanted to. Or, I could ask you why you're hunting here, on my territory?"

The she-cat blinked her large yellow eyes up at him, terror coursing through her veins. It took her a moment to understand that the question he'd asked was not rhetorical. When the realization dawned on her, she saw the hard light in the tom's eyes fade a little.

"One of the other apprentices said I wouldn't be able to catch any prey in this storm, so I came here to prove him wrong." As she was saying this, she realized just how unintelligent she must sound, taking such an immature challenge from a tom who passed the time being a thorn in everyone's side.

This time, the gray tom's whiskers did twitch in amusement. "If you weren't able to catch anything in this storm, I'd say you're not trying hard enough. Either that, or you're not a very good hunter."

Starlingpaw found the fear slowly begin to fade as the loner let her up. Rolling to her paws and shaking out her drenched fur, she said, "He isn't very good at it."

"You must be." The tom's eyes were on the squirrel she had crushed underneath her weight, a hungry light in his eyes. Taking a moment to study him, Starlingpaw noticed that, though he was large, he was incredibly thin.

Suddenly feeling sorry for the loner, she padded over to the freshkill and pushed it towards him with her nose. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw a curious light in them.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Starlingpaw." The she-cat shuffled her paws in front of her as the tom's eyes travelled over her.

"You certainly look like one," he said. "I'm Wolf."

"I've never seen one, so I can't tell if you're like one or not," she replied honestly. This earned her a short bark of amusement from him before his eyes returned to the squirrel.

Again, she pushed it towards him. "Have it. I might find something else on my way back." Wolf looked a little bit skeptical but at another nod from her, he gobbled it up, fluffy tail and all.

"Thank you," he said, licking his jaws clean.

"You looked like you needed it," Starlingpaw said quietly, rising to her paws. "I should get going. I wasn't supposed to leave the camp at all today."

"Why not?" The look of pure curiosity on his face stopped the she-cat and she couldn't help but answer his question.

"I'm only an apprentice. I'm not allowed to leave camp alone, especially in this weather. We don't have the herbs to treat a whole bunch of sick cats." As she spoke, she realized that Wolf might not understand the Clan's ways. "I guess you wouldn't understand what living by the rules is like. You're probably all on your own."

Wolf snorted. "I wish I was. No, my family is a bunch of loners that are supposed to take care of each other. As you can probably tell, we don't." He flicked his tail at his ribcage and Starlingpaw felt a pang in her chest. Even if some of the cats in RockClan didn't accept her, at least she had her littermates.

Glancing up at the treetops, she saw that it was still pouring and just the thought of having to cross the open plains made her unbearably tired. Looking back at the tom, she saw him crouching down in what might have been called a kits' hunter's crouch. He was inching forward towards a mouse, but his poor form caused the wet leaves to shift underneath him and the rodent disappeared in a flash.

"Here, let me show you," was all Starlingpaw said before joining him.

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to finish the next chapter before posting this one (I like to have some back-up), but since I haven't updated in over two weeks, I thought I'd go ahead and get this one up. I hope Starlingpaw was both believable and entertaining in this chapter - she seems to have a knack for finding others! What did you think of her encounter?**


	15. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 ❖ Pebblepaw**

"May StarClan watch over you."

The cloud of mist that rose into the cool morning air as Pebblepaw spoke disappeared almost immediately, as if it had never been there at all. The little tom shivered, frightened by the low-hanging clouds that pressed in on him from all sides and threatened to swallow him up in a wall of grey. The single raindrop that fell from above landed silently on his fur, announced only by a sudden piercing cold.

His paws were dirty and caked with mud, but the apprentice did not move to clean them. His yellow eyes remained fixated on the small mound of earth before him. The smell of the wet soil rose up around him, blocking out the smell of the death.

Beside him, Otterheart bowed her head, her own paws crusted over in brown. Grief hung thickly in the air between them, just another cloud to add to the stormclouds above.

She noticed first the ginger kit's stillness in her bed of moss that morning, waking Pebblepaw with a soft prodding and sorrowful look in her eyes, no need for words. The two of them picked up the bed of moss, carrying it to the top of the cliff where Sparrowstar had been buried not too long before. The constant rain of the past quarter moon had softened the earth, making it easier to dig a grave, and before they knew it, the kit was gone. Forever.

"We should head back," Otterheart mewed quietly, speaking for the first time since she woke her apprentice. She rose to her paws, but Pebblepaw did not move from his position beside the grave. The feeling of grief was too heavy in his chest.

But behind that grief lay something else, a burning sensation unlike any the tom had felt before. A simmering anger, that someone would leave a small helpless kit to rot and leave her at the mercy of others. Others that couldn't save her, regardless of how hard they tried.

The medicine cat sighed. "She's not going to rise from the dead, you know."

The grey tom was well aware of that, but still he did not move. "Why did she have to die at all?" he asked sadly.

Otterheart did not reply immediately, just as Pebblepaw knew she wouldn't. They both knew that death was unpredictable and unpreventable, taking whoever it wished whenever it wanted to.

He thought he'd done everything in his power to save her, used all of his training to prevent her death, but it came as swiftly and silently as it always did. It made him feel unprepared, unready, useless.

"The infection was too advanced," the tabby said softly. "You know that, Pebblepaw. There was no point in treating her with herbs that might be better used in healing others."

"So you would leave a kit to die instead of using up extra herbs to try and heal it." His voice was blunt, a statement instead of a question.

The she-cat started, obviously shocked by his reply. "No, I mean that no herbs could have helped her. If anything, it would have only prolonged her suffering. And, besides that, those herbs could mean the difference between life and death for our Clanmates one day."

"What if they could have been the difference between life and death for her?" Pebblepaw asked, voice starting to rise. His failure to keep the kit alive was beginning to eat away at him, a thousand tiny fleas nipping at his ears and whiskers and tail.

"There's no way to draw out an infection that advanced," his mentor repeated calmly.

Pebblepaw closed his eyes, willing the image of the sick kit in its bed of moss to go away. She was the first cat he had not been able to save, the first to have died under his care. The guilt now clawed at him and the tom suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"What if that had been me?"

The question came unbidden. Pebblepaw found his eyes on the tiny grave once more, but this time the kit beneath the soft earth was grey in colour, or a light cream, or black and white. He closed his eyes, willing the images to go away and, when they did not, turned his head to the skies above. They reflected the misery he felt, the way everything seemed to be dark and gloomy, without a hint of sunlight to brighten it.

He felt Otterheart's thin tail wrapping around his shoulders. "When Sparrowstar found you and your littermates, you were all strong, healthy kits. There was a little heatstroke, from being in the sun too long, but nothing compared to Sun's infection. All you needed was queen's milk."

Pebblepaw opened his mouth to reply, but closed it when his mentor's words registered. His sorrowful eyes moved to Otterheart's.

"Sun?"

The she-cat gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"You said, 'Sun's infection'," the tom said.

She nodded. "That's what her name was."

The sun had disappeared behind the storm clouds days ago, turning the world bleak and cold, but it wasn't this that caused Pebblepaw's fur to bristle as chills ran through him. Sightless eyes watch the sun disappear, he thought and, suddenly, something in his mind clicked.

"Are you alright?" Pebblepaw was snapped out of his thoughts by Otterheart's worried voice.

For a brief instant, he thought about telling his mentor about the prophecy. She had been Shortwhisker's apprentice, after all, which meant she knew something about them. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, to let someone other than Asterpaw know. It was right there, on the tip of his tongue, as if wanting to be shared.

Then, he remembered the promise he asked his sister to make in keeping the prophecy a secret. He couldn't betray that trust. It was just between the two of them and, if he told Otterheart, the whole Clan would find out. It would fuel the fear created by Palethorn's speech, bring with it another cause for alarm.

Pebblepaw chose his words carefully. "I... I just felt like I should have done more for her, even if it was calling her by her name. It might have brought her comfort while she lay dying." His ears and whiskers drooped of their own accord and the apprentice found that he was speaking the truth, even if it masked the true reasons behind his curiosity.

"You feel guilty," Otterheart said quietly, a sad look in her eyes.

The little tom found he couldn't answer her question, the sorrow he felt earlier flooding over him once more. He nodded once and the tabby she-cat shifted closer to him, their fur brushing as they shared a moment of grief.

After a time, she got to her paws and, without a word, turned in the direction of camp. Pebblepaw did not notice her absence until a while later, when he was no longer wrapped up in his emotions. Slowly, he was coming to an understanding, the idea of death being inevitable no longer so frightening. It seemed that, sometimes, it was better to let nature run its course.

Comforted by the idea that Sun's death meant something more, he turned to follow his mentor home, a single ray of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds behind him.

* * *

Pebblepaw took right to cleaning out the medicine storage when he came back, the movement of shifting the herbs to and fro distracting him from the strange emptiness of the medicine den. The herbs were always the same, their velvety leaves soothing to his paws and their sharp scents tickling his nose, calming and predictable even when everything else wasn't.

He tried to organize them by the shapes of their leaves, but soon realized there were too many possibilities, and took to sorting them by scent. The sweet-smelling ones were soon grouped in one corner, the sharp-smelling ones in another and everything that didn't fit the two categories in between. Realizing that this, too, was not a reliable sorting method, he resorted to organizing them by use.

Their scents rose up and filled the air around Pebblepaw as he shifted them along the uneven floor of the storage den. The apprentice drank in the familiar smells as he moved the chervil to join the horsetail and the feverfew towards the lavender, one pile for soothing infections and the other for bringing down fevers. These four herbs were the ones he had become so familiar with in the past quarter moon.

Pebblepaw wondered if this was what life as a medicine cat looked like. Gathering herbs, organizing them, administering them. Learning their uses and becoming more and more familiar with them as sick and wounded cats came and went.

Then, was it just healing, praying and watching them die? He was utterly dependent on battle, disease and death; without them, he would be nothing.

But these thoughts were too depressing to dwell on for much longer, so the apprentice turned back to the herbs he had come to love, regardless of their purpose. Once again, he became engrossed in the task of sorting, so much so that he did not notice he had company until it snuck up on him.

"It smells wonderful in here," said a quiet voice and Pebblepaw nearly jumped out of his fur.

"Kestrelpaw!" he cried as he caught sight of the tortoiseshell, her fur wind-swept from being out on patrol. "You nearly scared me to death!" His heart rattled about in his chest, bouncing from one ribcage to the other.

"I don't think you're quite there yet," she replied, tilting her head to the side, as if trying to get a better look at him. Her gaze went right through him, her blind eyes unfocused, looking in his direction without seeing anything at all.

For a brief moment, Pebblepaw wondered if Kestrelpaw had ever been able to see. If, as a kit, her now sightless eyes had seen the light of day. He had never thought to ask, even though the two of them were close friends. Deciding that it would be insensitive to pursue the subject, he pushed the thought aside.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked instead, wondering why the apprentice came to the medicine den in the first place. Other than Asterpaw, the rest of the Clan only visited when they were in need of treatment.

Kestrelpaw shook her head. "I just wanted to come see you. We haven't talked since..." Her face took on a sorrowful look and it took Pebblepaw a moment to realize why.

"She died this morning," he said quietly and the she-cat nodded, as if she had already known. The tom didn't press on.

"How has your training been?" he asked to break the silence. Already, she seemed stronger and slightly bigger than he remembered her being, though her apprentice ceremony had only taken place five or six sunhighs ago.

The she-cat made a face, as if she'd swallowed something unpleasant. "It's alright, I guess. Gentlefern showed me the territory and I can tell apart Big Rock from Training Cliff."

"Have you caught anything?" Pebblepaw asked, the mention of Big Rock filling his mind with images of sinewy lizards.

Kestrelpaw's whiskers drooped then and she bowed her head. "No," she said quietly and the tom immediately felt guilty for asking the question. Wrapping his tail around her shoulders, he attempted to comfort her.

"It hasn't even been a quarter moon since you've been apprenticed!" he said cheerfully. "I bet Whitepaw and Emberpaw didn't catch any prey within their first quarter moon of training either. Besides, there's one cat who will always be worse at hunting."

The she-cat's whiskers twitched. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, me," he replied and she purred in response.

"Just watch, by the time Brightkit and Skykit are apprentices, you'll be catching lizards." He moved closer to the she-cat so that their fur brushed and was surprised when she did the same.

"Thanks, Pebblepaw," she purred, licking his muzzle.

"For what?" he asked, feeling himself grow warm.

"For making me feel better," she replied. "It's more than anyone else has done in the past few sunhighs." The tortoiseshell shuffled her paws awkwardly, as if ashamed to admit it.

Pebblepaw purred, leaning down to lick the small she-cat's ear. "That's what medicine cats do, isn't it?"

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was incredibly difficult to write for some reason (I must have started it over at least three times), but I've finally completed it! I'm not sure if I'm happy with it but I think it'll do for now. As always, suggestions are very welcome :)**


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 ❖ Emberpaw**

"Stop slowing us down, Emberpaw," Palethorn growled.

Emberpaw snarled beneath her breath, but picked up her pace all the same. The already mundane task of border patrol, made even less enjoyable by her father's constant comments, seemed to weigh down her body, along with the rain.

It pelted down around her in sheets, turning the ground into soft mud that sucked at her paws and threatened to take her over the edge of the cliff on her right. She had never seen this much rain in her life and prayed to StarClan she never would again.

Picking up her pace, she pulled up alongside Silverhawk, who followed closely behind Beartooth and Palethorn. The silver she-cat's smirking face returned to its normal snooty look under Emberpaw's glare. The tortoiseshell apprentice turned away, attempting to ignore the insulting thoughts running through her mind.

Her amber gaze landed on Beartooth, the only redeeming quality of this patrol. Ever since Sparrowstar's death, and Runningheart's disappearance as her mentor, the old tabby had taken it upon himself to continue Emberpaw's training. She found him to be a fair mentor, and one she got along with well.

Runningheart she'd seen once or twice, usually resting in the warriors' den or nursery, where his mate, Mapleblossom, moved a couple of nights ago.

Mapleblossom's pregnancy also, unfortunately, resulted in a change of mentor for Littlepaw and Beetlestar tiredly granted Palethorn's wish after a long, heated discussion. Though the pale tom screeched and shouted at Littlepaw during training, he always made sure to direct even more at Emberpaw. Even the highest praise from Beartooth couldn't withstand the onslaught of criticism.

Sighing, the tortoiseshell realized she was falling behind again and moved to catch up, but stopped when the sound of voices reached her. Glancing at the patrol, which walked on as if no one had noticed her absence, she turned to follow the voices instead.

A couple of foxlengths away from the cliff edge stood six tall red stones, their surfaces slippery from nearly a half moon of constant rain. Padding quietly over, Emberpaw pressed herself againt the nearest one, sticking to its side as she circled it.

The voices grew louder as she neared the other side and she halted, listening. The splashing sound of rain competed with the soft whispers, but their thoughts remained loud and clear, echoing their voices as they spoke.

_We must do something about this, there is no other way. If he agrees to the traitor's wishes, there will be a war, and wars only kill._

_Wars kill, but so do rebellions. We don't stand a chance either way._

_Smokie's right, Ash. We either die here or there._

_But a rebellion only takes us down with it, Brook. A war takes down the innocents of the Clan._

Emberpaw's eyes widened and she inched forward slightly, catching sight of a grey pelt and a blue-grey tail before the cats began to speak again.

"It's not safe to speak of rebellions, even this far away from camp." Close enough to hear them now, Emberpaw identified the speaker as the one they called Smokie.

"It's not safe to speak of anything," another spat. "One word and he slits your throat."

"Quiet! I think I heard something."

The apprentice froze, cursing silently. From her vantage point, she could now see the tense forms of three cats, their eyes searching the tall rocks for signs of movement. The tortoiseshell waited, heart racing. Slowly, the strange cats relaxed, exchanging relieved glances.

Then, a screech cut through the air and the unmistakeable scent of blood rose up around Emberpaw. Shrinking back from the scene, she pressed herself against the rock, willing herself to become invisible as the sounds of battle became louder and louder.

Claws sliced through fur, teeth ripped through flesh. One of the cats yowled in pain while another gurgled out their last breath. The last one pleaded, its voice unheard by their attacker.

Finally, the fighting stopped and the only sound to be heard was that of laboured breathing. Wet earth squelched as someone moved, circling around the battlefield. The tortoiseshell waited with baited breath as the paws moved towards her hiding spot. She refused to tremble, but the growing sense of fear invaded her chest all the same.

She shifted backwards, hoping to keep silent, but the rain-soaked earth made this impossible. The pacing paws stopped and she heard the attacker sniffing at the air. A growl escaped them soon after and she knew her time was up.

Emberpaw pushed herself away from the rocks, paws pounding against the earth as she headed in the direction of the cliffs, hoping to reach the rest of the border patrol. Behind her, heavy footsteps followed, growing louder as she lost speed, the mud sucking at her paws and the rain in her longer fur slowing her down.

She screeched as fangs caught her tail, the claws she dug into the earth doing nothing to stop herself from being pulled back. This cat was strong, maybe even stronger than Beartooth, and her heart pounded in terror. She turned around all the same.

Before her stood a giant ginger tom, paws and muzzle stained red with blood, a crazed look in his amber eyes. He bared his teeth in a sort of grin as he approached her and she shrank back, the exciting idea of battle turning sour in her mind.

A paw flashed out and the tortoiseshell jumped out of its way just in time, landing clumsily on the slippery ground. She lunged out with her own, missing his nose by a mouselength. The growls in his chest growing, he leaped, landing just behind the apprentice.

She turned much too slowly and his unsheathed claws caught her on the ear, then the shoulder and chest. Hissing, she tried to parry his blows, but he was too fast, too strong, and much too dangerous. His claws seemed much longer than those of her Clanmates, his eyes alight with a bloodlust she had never seen before.

Emberpaw found herself reaching out with her thoughts, trying to find out what the tom's next move would be. If she knew what he was thinking, she might be able to dodge his blows and escape, or at least hold him off until the patrol came looking for her.

She hit a wall, much like she did whenever she tried to infiltrate her father's thoughts, and, distracted by her useless plan, failed to notice the claws coming at her. They cut into her shoulder, breaking through fur and flesh and leaving behind a dark, ugly groove.

Yowling in pain, she staggered away from the tom, ears pressed back and fangs bared. She could feel her strength waning as blood ran from the wound, but she threw herself at the stranger anyway in one last desperate effort to overpower him.

He flipped her over easily, paws on either side of her head and sharp fangs flashing before her eyes. Belatedly, she realized her belly was exposed. Emberpaw snarled, refusing to close her eyes as the tom raised his paw to deal the final blow. If she died today, she would die a fighter.

A sudden blur of brown and white took the weight of the ginger tom off of her suddenly, and she found it was much easier to breathe with him gone. Coughing, she rolled onto her paws, legs buckling under her as she put weight on her injured shoulder.

"Emberpaw!" Silverhawk cried, running over to her. The silver warrior's fur bristled and her eyes were filled with alarm. Emberpaw nodded in return, surprised by how fast her heart was beating.

The scene before her unfolded, a flurry of claws and teeth and fur. The ginger tom's strength matched that of both RockClan warriors, but he was alone, defending on two fronts, while Beartooth and Palethorn attacked simultaneously. He twisted towards the brown tabby first, slashing his claws over the tom's nose before turning to Palethorn and burying his teeth in his shoulder.

Unsettled, Emberpaw moved to join the fray, but a sharp pain in her shoulder reminded her that she would be of no use to warriors as experienced as Beartooth and Palethorn. Next to her, Silverhawk stood rigid with fear.

Beartooth continued to slash at the ginger tom's flank while Palethorn kept the stranger's claws and teeth busy, moving back and forth as he dodged the blows. Emberpaw's racing heart began to slow when she noticed the tom's paw slip in the mud beneath him and, all of a sudden, he lay on his back, the two RockClan warriors standing over him.

"What are you doing on RockClan territory?" Palethorn growled.

_Getting rid of vermin._ Emberpaw jumped as the words entered her head, the voice low and deep.

"I wasn't aware someone owned this territory," the same voice said out loud.

"The scent markers are clear," Beartooth said. "My question is, what sort of cat attacks one half their size?" He dug his claws deeper into the trespasser's chest as the tom moved to rise.

His amber eyes turned to Emberpaw and she shrank back from the bloodlust in them. Palethorn's eyes followed the stranger's, hardening as they took in the tortoiseshell's frightened state.

"A cat who is so used to killing he doesn't give it a second thought," the ginger tom snarled, baring his teeth into a grin as he continued to stare at Emberpaw. She bristled, pulling her ears back.

"Then perhaps you will the next time, remembering how we spared your life," Beartooth continued. Palethorn gave the tabby an incredulous look, but at one nod from the older warrior relinquished his hold on the intruder.

The ginger tom seemed equally surprised, rising to his paws carefully. The mud caking his fur did nothing to hide the thousands of scars that seemed to criss-cross his body, or the red stains that seemed as much part of him as his tabby stripes.

"Silverhawk, help Emberpaw back to camp. Palethorn and I will handle..." Beartooth drifted off, glancing at the tom uncertainly.

"Fire," the stranger replied. "My name is Fire."

Emberpaw shivered as his eyes settled on her once more, dangerous flames flickering within otherwise cold, unfeeling orbs.

* * *

The smell of the medicine den had never been one Emberpaw liked. She wrinkled her nose whenever Otterheart or Pebblepaw walked by, the sweet and tangy scents that accompanied them making her feel dizzy.

She fell to the floor of the den all the same, too tired and weak to complain or move anywhere else. Silverhawk left as soon as Otterheart appeared, leaving with one last scared look in the tortoiseshell's direction.

"Emberpaw, what happened?" Otterheart gasped when she caught sight of the cut in the apprentice's shoulder.

"Battle," Emberpaw mumbled, though she thought the cause of such a wound to be obvious.

"Wait right here, I'll have something to fix you up with in no time." Otterheart whisked herself off to the medicine storage, leaving the apprentice wondering where in StarClan's name she would ever move without being able to stand on her own.

The answer came in the form of another, smaller tortoiseshell.

"Emberpaw?" Kestrelpaw's voice was soft and high-pitched with fear. Before the injured she-cat had a chance to respond, the other apprentice's fur was pressed against her own. Looking over, she found Kestrelpaw's blind eyes stretched wide, nose twitching as she inhaled the scent of blood.

Emberpaw flinched away as Kestrelpaw accidentally touched her nose to the wound, but bit back her sharp-tongued remark. Had it been anyone else, a tongue-lashing was certain, but the blind apprentice had enough to worry about without another insult to add to it.

"Who attacked you?" the she-cat asked quietly.

"Just a loner I found crossing the border," Emberpaw replied, flicking an ear back. The memory of the battle filled her with disdain, especially when she remembered the terror she'd felt. If Whitepaw found out, he would never let her forget it.

"Well, I'm glad you made it out alive," Kestrelpaw continued, settling back down beside Emberpaw.

The older apprentice snorted. "If this wound doesn't kill me, that is." She shifted away from her, uncomfortable by how close the other tortoiseshell sat.

Kestrelpaw shook her head. "It's deep, but I don't think you'll be joining StarClan yet." The certainty in her words made Emberpaw look at the young she-cat suspiciously. Kestrelpaw acted so much older than she appeared sometimes, yet Emberpaw still felt like she was helpless. It was why she watched over her, making sure the other apprentices didn't pick on her and helping her when she seemed lost. She herself remembered being that small and powerless.

Pebblepaw arrived just then, bringing with him smells Emberpaw couldn't stand. Sneezing, she cursed the fact that she couldn't move on her own and that her head seemed far too heavy to move anyway.

The dizziness grew stronger, her head falling forward. The thoughts of being weak and helpless returned as Kestrelpaw shifted closer again, keeping Emberpaw from collapsing.

"She's losing too much blood!" she faintly heard someone say, but by that point it was too late to keep her heavy eyelids from falling shut. The darkness she fell into flickered like flames.

* * *

**A/N: It's been way too long since I last updated. Finals season just started, but I promise to have another chapter done sometime in the next two weeks. Hopefully Camp NaNo will motivate me to write more! Until then, thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 ❖ Asterpaw**

The sun woke her and Asterpaw blinked her eyes open in confusion, the feeling of warmth unfamiliar after days of cloud cover and rain. Purring as she stretched, the apprentice glanced about her den to see the sleeping forms of Whitepaw and Littlepaw. They didn't know what they were missing.

She moved into a pool of light just outside of the den entrance, settling down on the small ledge to groom herself. Below, cats milled about the freshkill pile and Fallen Tree, exchanging greetings and sharing tongues. Asterpaw briefly thought of joining them before deciding that she liked watching from above better. It made her feel strong, important, powerful.

Her green eyes moved over an unfamiliar ginger pelt briefly before spotting a small grey shape moments later, winding its way up the cliff path. Behind it, a small tortoiseshell followed, green leaves in her mouth. Asterpaw narrowed her eyes, knowing today was Kestrelpaw's turn to check the elders for ticks. Why was she helping Pebblepaw when she had her own duties to attend to?

Sighing, Asterpaw rose to her paws, making her way down to the medicine den. Otterheart always kept mouse bile there, so it wouldn't be hard to remind Kestrelpaw of her new apprentice duties. The she-cat was no longer a kit, though she still acted like one.

Before the cream tabby could reach the den, her path was blocked by Starlingpaw. The black she-cat's eyes lit up and she mumbled something through the freshkill in her jaws. Asterpaw shook her head slowly, thinking this apprentice, too, was very kit-like.

"Would you like to share with me?" Starlingpaw asked, dropping the freshkill on the path. Asterpaw glanced at the medicine den only once before agreeing. Kestrelpaw had only been an apprentice for a half moon and, as much as it annoyed the older apprentice, could get away with forgetting her duties this time.

Following her sister to a ledge in the cliff wall, the two made themselves comfortable and tore into the large lizard. Its scales brushed against Asterpaw's tongue as she chewed, her fangs breaking through the hard flesh easily.

"This sun's so nice," Starlingpaw commented, glancing up at the yellow orb above them. It was getting close to sunhigh, the light pouring into the red rock canyon bright and hot. Asterpaw mewed her agreement.

"It's too bad Sun didn't get to enjoy it," the black she-cat continued sadly.

"Sun?" Asterpaw asked. The name sounded unfamiliar to her.

"Pebblepaw didn't tell you?" Starlingpaw asked. "It was the name of the kit I found."

The cream tabby shook her head, eyes narrowing slightly. "No, Pebblepaw didn't tell me anything."

Sun, she thought, looking up at the sky where a single cloud floated over the kit's namesake. It disappeared for a moment before returning in all its blazing glory, temporarily blinding the she-cat with its light.

Suddenly, the name clicked. Sightless eyes watch the Sun disappear... She gritted her teeth slightly, wondering why her brother had told Starlingpaw and not her.

"Did he tell you anything more?"

"Just that she died not too long ago," her sister replied and Asterpaw nodded, knowing their littermate had not betrayed her trust. The prophecy remained a secret and would until they both decided to make it known to others.

Asterpaw liked the idea that the prophecy was theirs, and theirs alone, to share. With Pebblepaw's inability to tell Otterheart about it, it felt almost like StarClan wanted the two of them to keep it secret; a great responsibility but also an immense power.

"Anyway, do you know what you're up to today?" Starlingpaw asked, finishing off the rest of the lizard.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Asterpaw shook her head. "I think Beetlestar wanted to do some training with me, but he might be sending me with a different warrior. He's been incredibly busy lately, being a leader and all that." She licked her cream-coloured chest, puffing it out proudly.

Starlingpaw didn't seem to notice Asterpaw's boasting. "Redblaze said he wanted me to stay in camp and help clean out dens. That rain made a real mess." Asterpaw nodded, remembering how damp her moss nest had been for the past couple of nights.

Hearing her name being called from down below, Asterpaw said goodbye to her sister and descended the cliff face, pausing at the medicine den to see if Kestrelpaw was still shirking her apprentice duties. Sure enough, the little tortoiseshell sat in the centre of the den, conversing with Emberpaw.

"Kestrelpaw, it's your turn to clean the elders of their ticks," Asterpaw said, voice slightly commanding. Kestrelpaw jumped, not having noticed her, but Emberpaw cut her off before the younger apprentice could say anything.

"I remember a time when I was the one reminding you," she said shortly, eyes glinting with a challenge. Asterpaw shot the older apprentice a distasteful look, but did not reply.

Kestrelpaw cut in politely. "Actually, Redblaze told me I was supposed to go out on patrol today and that Starlingpaw would take my place." The apprentice rose to her paws. "Are you on your way down as well?"

Gritting her teeth at the she-cat's polite tone, Asterpaw nodded and turned to head down the cliff. After exchanging a brief goodbye with Emberpaw and Pebblepaw, Kestrelpaw followed.

Both she-cats were met by Gentlefern, who let them know they would be patrolling the south border together. Kestrelpaw seemed excited by the news, but Asterpaw's tail drooped, remembering the training Beetlestar had promised her. Her mood brightened slightly when she found out Leafpelt would be joining their patrol.

"Caught any rabbits lately?" he asked her, whiskers twitching.

"Not since our catch, no," she replied, shuffling her paws slightly. It wasn't like the younger warriors to pay attention to the apprentices; they preferred to appear above the warriors in training.

"I haven't caught anything yet," Kestrelpaw cut in sadly. Leafpelt gave the little she-cat a sympathetic glance and Asterpaw suddenly felt bad for feeling superior to the new apprentice. Much like Silverhawk and Badgerclaw, who shunned the apprentices, she had made the tortoiseshell feel unwelcome. Yet, she felt a twinge of annoyance as Leafpelt offered to help Kestrelpaw with her hunting.

The patrol set off soon after, with Gentlefern at the head and Asterpaw, Leafpelt and Kestrelpaw behind. The tom walked in between the two she-cats, alternately making small talk with one or the other as they followed the river through the canyon.

When the canyon narrowed, he carefully guided Kestrelpaw towards the small gap, making sure she wasn't running into any walls. She insisted that she could make her way through it herself but accepted his help gratefully all the same.

The tom stepped aside to let Asterpaw through the gap next, catching her by surprise. Looking at the chivalrous tabby curiously, she too accepted his offer, pausing on the other side to wait for him before they rejoined the patrol.

No one spoke after that, choosing to enjoy the feel of the sun's rays warming their pelts and listening to the tuneless song of the slight breeze that blew through the canyon. After over a half moon of ceaseless rain and blowing wind, this felt like bliss.

Reaching the south border, Gentlefern divided them up into groups. To Asterpaw's disappointment, she paired Kestrelpaw and Leafpelt together. Asterpaw respected the motherly tabby and, if it had been anyone else on the patrol, would have been very excited to be paired with her. The thoughts of her and Leafpelt's previous teamwork while on hunting patrol drove those feelings from her.

Sighing, she turned to follow Gentlefern to the west side of the Training Cliff while Leafpelt and Kestrelpaw headed for the Maze. Padding over the great expanse of the training area, Asterpaw shook out her fur, closing her eyes and purring as the sun soaked into her skin.

"Distracted, are we?" Gentlefern called from somewhere up ahead, but before Asterpaw could reply she found herself pinned to the ground.

Eyes shooting open, she found the grey tabby she-cat sitting atop her, green eyes gleaming playfully. Her sheathed paws rested on the apprentice's shoulders, pushing her back against the hard rock of the Training Cliff.

Flashing her teeth in a grin, Asterpaw twisted, throwing one of Gentlefern's paws off. Rotating so that her belly faced the ground, the cream she-cat arched her back, pushing the warrior off of her and to the ground.

Rounding on her, she lunged, swinging a paw at the tabby's face. Gentlefern parried with a blow of her own, catching Asterpaw on the ear before lunging past her and moving to rake her sheathed claws against the apprentice's side. Retaliating too slowly, Asterpaw felt the she-cat's paws make contact with her ribs.

Angry with herself for being such an easy target, Asterpaw pounced onto the tabby before the warrior had a chance to turn back to face her, trying her hardest to stay balanced without using her claws. Before she had a chance to regain her stability, Gentlefern had thrown her off and knocked her to the ground once more.

"Your retaliations are a little slow, but you would have gotten me with that pounce if you were allowed to use your claws," Gentlefern said kindly, letting the apprentice up.

Asterpaw nodded, though she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that welled up inside her.

"Come on, let's go mark this border," the warrior said. "Then maybe we can get the rest of the patrol in on some battle training." Brightening at this prospect, Asterpaw sprang to her paws.

A wall with small ledges made up the west border of the Training Cliff. Asterpaw leaped up onto the first one, marking it, before making her way up to the next to do the same. The previous scent markers had been washed away by rain, the scents barely noticeable even to Asterpaw's heightened senses.

It was a different scent that filled her nose, one that cascaded over her like water. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, vision clouded by a darkness that glinted and shimmered, as if moving. She stared up at it, mesmerized by the way it flowed over her and gasped when a single, small ripple broke it.

Then, her lungs began to collapse, shrivelling up like prey left out in the sun as the gleaming substance moved through her. She tried to draw a breath, but choked on the invisible liquid. Her mouth opened and closed in futile screams for help as the darkness sucked at her, a heaviness that left her feeling weightless dragging her down.

"Asterpaw!" Gasping for air, the cream she-cat was relieved to feel its coolness enter her lungs. Getting to her paws, she coughed, trying to get rid of the taste of water in her mouth.

Looking up, she saw Gentlefern and Leafpelt looking at her worriedly. Off to the side, Kestrelpaw's eyes were stretched wide, a look of horror on her face.

"What happened?" Asterpaw asked shakily, glancing around her. Not a trace remained of whatever had triggered her vision but, when she sniffed at the air, she found the faintest scent of water.

"You suddenly fell from the ledge," Gentlefern said quietly. "We thought you might have been stung by a wasp or sprained a paw."

"You were shaking and moaning," Leafpelt added. "It looked like you were choking."

Asterpaw shook her head as the images returned to her. Water, moving over her in glittering waves, dragging her down into its depths.

When she inhaled another breath of fresh air, she had to fight the images that came flooding with it. Fur bristling, she realized the scent was growing stronger, filling the air all around them. The rock beneath her paws gave the slightest tremble and Asterpaw's eyes widened.

"We need to leave, get out of this canyon," she said quickly. "We'll be trapped if we don't." Springing to her paws, she found her way blocked by Gentlefern and Leafpelt.

"We need to get you to Otterheart," the tabby tom replied.

"We don't have time to get back to the camp. We need to find higher ground, then go back to the camp to warn the others," Asterpaw pleaded, green eyes large with fright.

"Asterpaw, I really think - "

"She's right." Everyone turned, astonished, to Kestrelpaw. "If we don't move, we'll die."

Incredulous, Leafpelt turned to Gentlefern, whose eyes were moving between the two apprentices. Finally, she nodded, leading the way to the Maze. With three swift leaps, she had climbed the ledges beside it and stood overtop of the broken canyon walls, just as mentors often did during training.

Kestrelpaw joined her next, Asterpaw following and Leafpelt bringing up the rear. The tortoiseshell's shoulders were tense, but relaxed slightly once the patrol got up to higher ground. Asterpaw herself felt slightly relieved, but the smell of fast-moving water remained and the rocks beneath her continued to tremble. Already the sky darkened with storm clouds, moving in faster than any of them had ever seen.

The two warriors didn't ask any questions, instead moving swiftly ahead of the two apprentices. Asterpaw gave Kestrelpaw a brief word of thanks before picking up her own pace, heart racing as fat raindrops began to fall around them.

"Leafpelt, run ahead, warn the others!" Gentlefern's voice rang out clear over the sounds of the sudden storm. Not a trace remained of the warm and friendly sun or the cool breeze.

The canyon trembled like a giant beast below them, rocks sliding loose of their holdings and falling to break into pieces onto the red floor below. The smell of water now thick in the air, Gentlefern's own pelt bristled, telling Asterpaw the warrior believed her warning.

Leafpelt disappeared in the haze of rain quickly and the cream apprentice spurred herself on after him, breath leaving her in fast, short gasps. Her paws pounded the slippery ground in a rhythm unheard by her ears, drowned out by the unmistakeable roar of water that moved angrily through the canyon beside her.

She let out a cry of dismay, running as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached the edge of the cliff where she knew the camp to be. A group of cats waited there, soaked to the bone with their fur plastered against their bodies.

Asterpaw came to a halt beside Pebblepaw and they watched, eyes filled with grief, as the flash flood wiped away their home.

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**A/N: Camp NaNo has certainly been keeping me busy and motivated (along with finals) but, sadly, leaves little time for editing. I apologize for any errors and promise I will be back to fix them!**


	18. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 ❖ Martenfur**

The flood ended as quickly as it came, tapering off to nothing but a trickle within minutes of it starting. When the water receded, it left a spectacle that made some members of the Clan avert their eyes, others crying out softly with grief.

Martenfur kept his eyes trained on the wreckage below. The river was still swollen to over half its size, but the Fallen Tree that usually marked its border had been washed away, along with the sandy floor around it. Bits of the rock cliff had been chipped away by the force of the water and now littered the ground of RockClan's camp.

_What's left of it_, the tom thought bitterly.

Beside him, Leafpelt's face held a stricken expression and he blinked his eyes now and then, as if trying to check if the scene before him was real. Beetlestar appeared on his other side, yellow eyes shining as he surveyed the damage.

Then, the voices of their Clanmates began to rise behind them, scared and quiet at first then panicked and urgent. Goldfur spoke first from his spot beside the shaking Starlingpaw.

"Thistleclaw's gone." His voice blended in with the soft whisper of the slowly diminishing rain.

Ripplestream's anguished voice was much louder, rising above the murmurings of the Clan. "Redblaze is gone too." She curled her tail more tightly around her kits, who stared around at the Clan with big, innocent eyes.

The last words came from Emberpaw, and the grief tinging her words surprised Martenfur. "Littlepaw didn't make it."

The Clan sat in silence, eyes either turned towards the water-logged earth beneath their paws or the dark red of their damaged camp. Finally, Beetlestar rose and padded over to the cliff path.

Through amber slits, Martenfur watched his leader pick his way down the slippery slope carefully, one small pawstep at a time. He poked his head into each den as he passed it, pausing at the apprentice den a little longer than the others before arriving on the floor of the canyon. He turned his head to the north, then to the south, and then back towards his Clan, gathered at the top of the cliff.

Martenfur stepped forward first, followed closely by Leafpelt. The path leading down the cliff felt foreign underneath his paws, its surface too smooth and the pebbles that usually littered it missing.

When he reached the bottom, he turned to see the rest of the Clan slowly getting to their paws and tentatively stepping into their changed camp. Pebblepaw was helping Kestrelpaw down the steep slope, while Morningbreeze and Ripplestream, each carrying a kit, moved along behind them. Mapleblossom walked alongside her mate, Runningheart, her belly already swollen with her own kits. Goldfur, the only remaining elder, leaned heavily on Gentlefern, his old aching joints making the descent a difficulty.

In the entire shocked, weary Clan only one cat did not accept help: Emberpaw. Even from his position at the foot of the path, Martenfur could tell she was limping, attempting to hide the toll yesterday's battle wounds took on her. He found himself wanting to help her, but knew she wouldn't accept it. Deciding it best to stay put, Martenfur waited.

"We need to get this camp back in order," Beetlestar began once the Clan had assembled. "I want all apprentices looking for bits of moss, grass or feathers to make new nests from. Palethorn and Silverhawk, I would like you to bury Littlepaw - you'll find him in the apprentice den."

The black tom blinked sadly at the pale warriors. Palethorn nodded, though he continued to stare straight ahead with a glazed look over his eyes while Silverhawk wrapped her tail carefully over his shoulders.

Beetlestar continued. "We also need some hunting patrols - Redblaze if you could..."

He suddenly drifted off, grief filling his yellow eyes. Clearing his throat he continued less confidently. "Gentlefern, Morningbreeze, Dapplefur, Runningheart and Leafpelt, see if you can find some prey. The rest of you, try shifting some of this rubble. Beartooth, I want to see you, as well as our guest."

The tom pointed his black tail at an unfamiliar ginger tom. Martenfur narrowed his eyes, noticing the new tom's broad and muscular build. He looked like he could cut an apprentice to pieces with just one swipe of his massive claws.

"Otterheart, Pebblepaw, see if there's anything left of your herb storage. We'll put a patrol together shortly to help gather new ones, if we can find any." With that, the Clan dispersed.

Martenfur rose to his paws, amber eyes searching the camp, unsure of a place to start. A boulder blocked the entrance to the nursery and the elder's den had chunks of rock missing from its entrance. The freshkill pile's usual niche in the rock had also disappeared, washed smooth by the fast-flowing water. He decided on the nursery, where Skykit and Brightkit pawed weakly at the boulder.

"Actually, I don't think that will be necessary." The warrior stopped at the sound of Pebblepaw's voice. A couple of others had also halted and both the medicine cat and leader gave the apprentice a puzzled look.

"About the medicine storage, I mean. Emberpaw and I rolled a stone across it before the flood rushed in," Pebblepaw explained hurriedly. "I thought it might help protect the herbs."

Something like hope flickered in Beetlestar's eyes. "Martenfur, go with them and help roll the stone away. Report back to me once the herbs have been accounted for."

Glancing at the nursery, the warrior saw Badgerclaw approaching the kits and offering his help. Nodding respectfully to his leader, Martenfur turned to follow the medicine cat and her apprentice up to their den. Sure enough, a stone about the size of a hawk had been rolled in front of the storage's entrance, nearly covering the hole in the den wall.

"Where did it come from?" Otterheart asked, looking at it in amazement.

"The flood brought it," Pebblepaw replied. "I was helping Emberpaw up when it blocked our way, so we attempted to move it aside before the water rose too high. We shifted it over here and escaped while we still could." The grey tom licked his chest fur modestly and Martenfur noticed that his legs and belly were slightly darker where the water had reached him.

"I guess StarClan was watching over you," he said, thinking about how easily the two apprentices could have drowned. Their ancestors' guidance was the only answer to their survival - how did a medicine apprentice and his injured patient manage to roll a stone that size? Pebblepaw looked up to meet his eyes, gaze curious.

"Let's get this moved so we can find out what the damage is," Otterheart decided, pushing against the rock with her weight. It refused to move.

"Let me," Martenfur said, taking her place. He braced himself against the smooth surface, trying to find a foothold in the equally smooth rock under his paws, and pushed. Slowly, a mouselength at a time, the stone shifted, water dribbling out from behind it.

Even Martenfur, untrained in the art of healing, could tell that the herbs on the floor of the storage were damaged. The ones stored on the ledges above, however, seemed perfectly fine, their fragrant scents still rising into the air.

"Great StarClan," Otterheart breathed incredulously upon seeing this. "They really must have been watching over you, Pebblepaw." Martenfur couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the apprentice's eyes flash at his mentor's comment.

Standing aside as the two medicine cats began their work cleaning the storage, Martenfur realized just how much a blessing this was for the Clan. With the recent storms and leaf-bare fast approaching, the Clan couldn't risk losing its entire herb storage.

"Martenfur, would you mind moving these?" Otterheart asked through a mouthful of herbs, pawing a ball of leaves towards the tom. The warrior clawed at the drenched herbs, putting them near the entrance to the den, where a small pool of sunlight had gathered.

In it, Pebblepaw laid out a few wet, but not entirely damaged, herbs. Martenfur watched with growing admiration as the apprentice worked, paws handling the leaves, roots and flowers with such loving care they could have been newborn kits. The grey tom, noticing Martenfur watching, twitched his whiskers warmly at him.

"I'm going to let Beetlestar know what herbs we need," Otterheart announced as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the red cliffs. "It looks like we only need to replenish the chervil, lavender, tansy and thyme."

Pebblepaw and Martenfur both nodded in response, though Martenfur did not truly understand what the words meant. His head was spinning with the scents of the herbs surrounding him.

When Otterheart left the den, Pebblepaw spoke. "We really are lucky to have our medicine storage." He sounded tired and weary, and much older than he appeared.

"We're lucky to have both of our medicine cats," Martenfur replied.

The grey apprentice nodded. "Thank you for putting your faith in both us and StarClan."

The tabby tom blinked, unsure what to make of the words. Where else would he put his faith but in his Clan and his ancestors?

"You're welcome," he finally said, amber eyes glowing. Though Martenfur had never spoken to the apprentice before, he felt a sudden understanding pass between them. Pebblepaw must have felt the same, as he gazed intently back at him.

Martenfur was suddenly reminded of the trip to Moon Cliffs with Asterpaw and the way her unwavering faith in StarClan had astounded him. Pebblepaw, like his sister, held this same faith and the warrior respected him greatly for it. Being born outside of the Clan, they could have easily pushed RockClan's warrior ancestors aside.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please come gather at the foot of the cliff!" Martenfur averted his gaze, though he could still feel Pebblepaw's eyes on him. Excusing himself, the warrior stepped out into yet another changed camp.

Most of the rubble had been shifted, forming a neat pile of rocks near the nursery that Skykit and Brightkit already sat atop, claiming as their own. A makeshift freshkill pile of lizards and mice that would keep the Clan from going hungry tonight lay near its original place.

Beetlestar stood on a ledge within the cliff, facing the river with the Clan before him. Martenfur took a place beside his brother, Leafpelt, who nudged his shoulder affectionately. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pebblepaw weaving his way through the crowd to sit beside Asterpaw, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

"Today, some of our own were taken from us. Thistleclaw and Redblaze, though their bodies were not recovered, will always be remembered as strong, faithful members of RockClan."

Beetlestar dipped his head and the Clan followed his lead, a moment of silence passing over them.

"Littlepaw's vigil will take place atop the cliff for anyone who wants to join it, closer to the stars and our warrior ancestors," he continued, yellow eyes pausing on Palethorn, Whitepaw and Emberpaw.

"With the passing of our deputy, a new deputy must be appointed before moonhigh." The black tom paused, as if searching for the correct candidate. The scene seemed rather familiar to Martenfur, with Palethorn straightening slightly at the mention of a new deputy, though his grief showed in the slouch of his shoulders.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of RockClan will be Beartooth. May you serve the Clan for many moons to come." The senior warrior stepped forward, bowing his head gratefully before melting back into the crowd to sit beside the giant ginger tom he seemed to be guarding.

"There are two among us who have served the Clan greatly today and it is time I gave them their full names." The announcement caused the Clan to erupt into hushed speculations. Martenfur turned to whisper his own to Leafpelt, but found the tabby's green eyes fixated on Asterpaw.

Shifting to hide his purr of amusement at the look of admiration in the tom's eyes, Martenfur wondered when the she-cat caught his eye. It took all of his will power to restrain himself from teasing Leafpelt about it.

"Asterpaw, please step forward." The cream she-cat moved almost regally, but the excited glimmer in her eyes was hard to miss.

"I, Beetlestar, leader of RockClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Asterpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she replied and the whole Clan held its breath.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Asterpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Asternose. StarClan honours your determination and skill in hunting, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RockClan."

Pebblepaw's voice rose into the air first, joined by everyone else's moments later as they chanted her new name.

"Now I will ask Pebblepaw to step forward," Beetlestar said, flicking his tail to silence the crowd. Surprised, Martenfur turned to look at the medicine apprentice to see that the tom looked equally shocked.

"I'd like to give you your full name now, though you will still travel to Moon Cliffs with Otterheart at the half moon to receive it before our ancestors," Beetlestar explained. Again, that flash in Pebblepaw's eyes, but Martenfur put it down to anxiety.

"I, Beetlestar, leader of RockClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons." The leader's eyes filled with warmth as Pebblepaw looked up at him.

"Pebblepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clanmates and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the grey tom replied without hesitation.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Pebblepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Pebbleheart. StarClan honours your organization and dedication and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of RockClan."

This time, Martenfur chanted first and when the newly named Pebbleheart turned, whiskers twitching excitedly, their eyes met again. A current rushed through the warrior and his ears filled with the sound of soft voices, like rain, whispering words he couldn't quite hear but knew were important.

When he blinked, they faded and Pebbleheart's yellow eyes had been replaced with fiery amber ones, a hungry fire flickering in their depths. Looking away from the strange ginger tom, Martenfur shook his head, wondering why he suddenly felt so uncomfortable.

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**A/N: When writing this chapter, I suddenly got the idea that Martenfur and Pebbleheart would make a great gay couple. Thoughts? And what do you think of the new warrior names? :)**


	19. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 ❖ Starlingpaw**

The cheers of her Clanmates sounded hollow in Starlingpaw's ears. Though the Clan seemed joyous, the she-cat knew she couldn't be the only one questioning Beetlestar's decision to host two ceremonies following the destruction of the flood. The Clan always needed a medicine cat and warriors, but surely those ceremonies could wait until after the Clan had paid their respects?

To her right, Ripplestream stared up at Beetlestar's perch with her eyes glazed over, tail wrapped loosely around her kits, who seemed subdued compared to their usual enthusiasm. The shock of the flood, and that of their father's death, would leave the nursery a dismal place until the birth of Mapleblossom's kits.

Even then, those kits would have only one elder to tell them stories. Goldfur sat staring into space not too far from Starlingpaw, no doubt thinking about Thistleclaw just as she was. One moment, she had been searching his pelt for ticks and the next the water rushed towards them, carrying the old black tom away with it. He'd been in the middle of a story, one about the Clan's move from their old home.

Sitting on the cold red floor of the canyon, Starlingpaw couldn't help but think of whether or not the flood would mean RockClan's move to yet another home. She half expected Palethorn to step up at any moment and claim that the Clan should move on, just as he had at Kestrelpaw's ceremony, but the white tom remained still, eyes focused on the top of the cliff where he buried Littlepaw.

_So many lives lost for no reason_, Starlingpaw thought to herself, looking down at her white paws. Something clawed at her insides, creeping up her ribs and into her chest until the she-cat found it hard to breathe.

If only she'd heard the rush of water sooner, there would have been enough time to warn the Clan and get everyone to safety before the flood washed them away. But she'd passed the sound of water off as coming from the stream, swollen with rain and running through camp faster than usual.

And now Littlepaw, Redblaze and Thistleclaw were dead. All because she'd been too engrossed in an elders' tale.

Mind preoccupied, Starlingpaw did not notice her sister approaching her. The cream tabby held her head high, eyes alight with pride, and Starlingpaw felt something uncoil in the pit of her stomach, momentarily replacing the guilt.

"It's been quite a day, hasn't it?" Asternose said rather brightly. "Just this morning we were sitting on a ledge eating freshkill and talking about the weather."

Starlingpaw nodded mutely, the guilt returning forcefully. Redblaze had been alive this morning, telling her to take care of the elders and their ticks.

"And now I'm a warrior." The cream she-cat paused, as if to let the words sink in. Starlingpaw flinched slightly at the boast.

"What happened while we were gone?" Asternose asked softly, changing the subject.

It took the apprentice a couple of moments to put together a response and push it past her constricted throat. "I heard the sound of rushing water while cleaning the elders' den, but passed it off as the stream, since it's been swelling with the rain. Thistleclaw and Goldfur began telling stories as I worked and, by the time I realized the sound had grown, the river was twice its usual size."

She paused, remembering the chaos that followed. "It all happened so quickly and we panicked. One moment Redblaze was helping Thistleclaw up the cliff and the next moment both of them were gone, swept away by the flood."

Starlingpaw shivered as she remembered the feel of the deadly water on her fur, fear and sorrow dancing in her yellow eyes.

"It's such a terrible thing," Asternose sighed, settling down beside the black and white she-cat. "I'm only sorry the patrol couldn't get back in time to warn the rest of the Clan."

The apprentice narrowed her eyes at the fake sound of the words. _Always playing the hero_, she thought, suddenly realizing that Asterpaw - now Aster_nose_ \- must have received her warrior name for her part in saving the patrol.

Then, another thought struck her and the uncoiled snake in her stomach reared its ugly head, jealousy creeping through her like venom. If she'd realized the flood was coming, would she be seen as a hero, too? Would she have her warrior name, alongside her siblings?

Would she, for once in her life, be seen as better than her sister?

"I don't think it would have made much of a difference," Starlingpaw said coldly, backing away from the cream warrior. Asternose looked up at her in confusion and Starlingpaw snorted inwardly, marvelling at how the she-cat continued to ignore how superiorly she acted.

The apprentice turned to leave and almost immediately knocked her head into a mass of red fur. For a single moment, Starlingpaw thought she had bumped into her mentor, Redblaze. Bouncing back, she found the eyes staring down at her very different from his kind green ones.

"I'm s-sorry," she stuttered, tearing herself away from the harsh amber gaze of the ginger tom. He did not reply, though she could still feel his eyes on her.

"It's alright Starlingpaw," came Beartooth's voice from the side. "Our guest was just hoping to meet some of the Clan members." Starlingpaw looked up at the new deputy and saw that even he looked small compared to the giant stranger.

"It looks like I'll be staying here a while," the tom said in a voice so deep it made Starlingpaw shiver. She glanced down, only to find herself staring at the tom's claws. A cold wave of fear washed over her as she imagined them piercing through fur and skin. It was no wonder Emberpaw hadn't left the medicine den yet after her encounter with the stranger.

"Beetlestar also wanted me to tell you that Dapplefur will be your mentor from now on," Beartooth continued.

"Has Dapplefur ever mentored anyone before?" Asternose had joined their conversation, tone skeptical, and Starlingpaw shot her a cold look.

"No, but Beetlestar wouldn't give her an apprentice if he thought she couldn't handle it," the tabby tom replied, looking at Starlingpaw pointedly. She nodded, twitching her whiskers sadly.

_But training with Dapplefur will never be the same as with Redblaze_, the apprentice thought to herself.

She suddenly became aware of three pairs of eyes watching her and found herself shaking. Asternose's green ones shone condescendingly; Beartooth's amber eyes cast a tired, but kind, light; the stranger's amber orbs were void of emotion. The sudden mixture of fear, guilt and envy within threatening to overwhelm her, Starlingpaw stammered an excuse.

"I h-have to get back to c-cleaning dens," the she-cat explained hurriedly before fleeing, shaking all the way up to the top of the cliff. Her breaths came in short gasps as she climbed the path, heart pounding against the dark emotions swallowing her up. The canyon suddenly felt as if it were closing in on her.

Blindly, she continued to run, not knowing whether she was running from the knowing looks of her Clanmates or the bottled up emotions inside her. Both seemed to accompany her as she disappeared over the cliff edge.

When she finally stopped, the rock had turned to tall grass and the sun hung low in the sky, turning the plains around her a vivid orange. Gasping for air, Starlingpaw turned to see if anyone had followed her, but found only a bird soaring overhead. She continued on her path.

The next time she halted, green branches hung overhead and the scents of mice and squirrels filled her nose. The copse of trees held the scent of rain too, a soft, loamy sort of smell that rose from the moss and leaves littering the ground.

Unsheathing her claws, Starlingpaw hacked at the moss before her, tearing it into little bits. Growls escaped her, fierce snarls and yowls of anger. Pieces of moss the size of beetles flew in every direction.

By the time she was done, nothing remained of the clump. Belatedly, the apprentice realized the moss might have made a good nest.

But she had no intention of cleaning dens. All she wanted to do was be alone.

The swirling emotions made it impossible and the she-cat let them wash over her. Amber eyes flashed through her mind, fear flooding her until the thought of the flash flood replaced it with pictures of Thistleclaw and Redblaze disappearing under the waves. The sound of rushing water filled her ears, slowly turning into soft laughter and then the words of her sister: _it's such a terrible thing_.

The fear instilled by the stranger disappeared quickly, while the guilt and envy lingered. Anytime Starlingpaw thought of Asternose, she found herself gritting her teeth, the poison of jealousy spreading from the centre of her chest outwards and making her whole body ache. She almost preferred the pain to the hollow feeling the guilt brought with it.

A chirp sounded above her and Starlingpaw looked up to see a curious starling hopping down onto a low branch. It blinked at her with beady black eyes, cocking its head to the side. It chirped again and the she-cat chirped back, twitching her whiskers sadly.

The starling took off, startled by her response. She watched as it flitted through the branches of the trees before disappearing into the darkening sky. Sighing, she wished she could do the same.

The flutter of another pair of wings caught Starlingpaw's attention and, pricking her ears, she heard a sound that made her fur bristle - paws shuffled against leaves, pushing against them as if to pounce.

Starlingpaw moved out of the way just in time to see a ball of grey fur flash past her, stumbling and rolling head over heels before collapsing in a heap. Bits of moss flew in every direction and the leaves littering the ground rose up in a wave before crashing down onto the figure.

Purring softly, the she-cat carefully approached the tom, jumping back as the leaves rocketed in the air once more. Wolf turned to her with a dead sparrow in his mouth, looking very proud of himself.

"For that squirrel last time," he said, placing his catch in front of Starlingpaw. The leaves settled around them slowly and the she-cat didn't speak until the last one had touched the ground, finding it strange that she would meet the same tom here again.

"Thank you," she replied slowly. "But I'm really not hungry." She pushed the bird back towards the tom with a white paw.

He cocked his head to the side. "Why not?"

Starlingpaw flicked her tail tip. "I already ate," she lied just as her stomach rumbled, betraying her.

Wolf looked at her skeptically. "What's wrong, Starlingpaw?"

Her heart leaped slightly as he said her name, surprised he had remembered it. A sudden wariness overtook her as she took in his dishevelled and dirty fur; he looked like he'd been living in the copse of trees. Had he been sitting here waiting for her to return or was it just a coincidence?

Her eyes fell on the sparrow and she thought it was somewhat honourable of the rogue to wait around so he could return her favour. Looking up, she saw the concern in his yellow eyes seemed genuine.

"There was a flood," she said quietly, deciding to trust the tom. "It swept through the canyon and killed some of my Clanmates."

His eyes grew large and he flicked his thick tail, scattering the leaves once more. "That's terrible!" She couldn't help but notice that he sounded more grieved than Asternose.

The envy rose up once more, as did the guilt. "It's my fault. I heard it coming and did nothing."

An emptiness filled her as she said the thought out loud for the first time, the guilt receding and leaving behind only her jealousy. Her heart thumped loudly.

"And now my siblings have their warrior names because they helped the Clan in their time of need and I didn't," Starlingpaw continued, looking down at her paws. "I just wish I had said something - then my mentor would still be alive and I'd be a warrior."

She felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her when the words left her mouth. Saying them out loud, Starlingpaw realized just how much she missed Redblaze. If she'd only spoken up, there would be no need to have Dapplefur continue her training. As much as the apprentice hated to think it, she agreed with Asternose that Dapplefur might not even know how to train an apprentice, being a queen for most of her life.

Wolf's tail wrapping around her shoulders caused Starlingpaw to jump. He purred as she settled down, feeling her fur prickling strangely where his tail touched her. Looking up, she saw that same genuine concern in his yellow orbs and found her quickly beating heart slowing as she calmed, glad to have someone who would listen.

"You'll be a warrior one day," Wolf said, pushing the sparrow towards her. "Until then, I'm sure you'll be the best apprentice your Clan could ask for." Starlingpaw nodded, taking a bite of the prey.

"What will you be?" she asked, once again noticing his dishevelled state.

"I'll be here to remind you of that," he said with a playful nudge.

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**A/N: It's been so long since I've updated... I almost forgot about FFN until quite recently. I hope you can forgive me! (Reads and reviews for everyone who does?)**


	20. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 ❖ Kestrelpaw**

The days following the flood blurred in Kestrelpaw's mind. Each day followed the same routine of collecting prey and building materials, patrolling the borders and helping to rebuild the camp. A heavy silence hung over the Clan as they worked, broken only by barked orders during the day and soft sobbing throughout the night.

The water had stripped the camp of everything Kestrelpaw found familiar, the strong scents of RockClan and the surfaces her paws once traveled washed away. In the mornings, she often woke confused, the smell of water hitting her before that of her denmates. Those scents, too, were changed, with Whitepaw's tinged by grief and Emberpaw's turned sour by the infection that had filled her wounds. Starlingpaw's was often missing, as she arrived late in the night and left before the sun came up.

Once the scent of RockClan slowly seeped into the red rock and Kestrelpaw became familiar with her surroundings once more, learning to navigate the changed landscape of the camp became her priority. With the cliff path changed and rocks shifted from their original locations, the tortoiseshell could not get from her den to the freshkill pile without help.

She hated being a burden, asking others to help her move through the camp. It made her more aware of the piercing gazes and hushed commentary of both younger and older warriors. She did her best to ignore them, but the words cut into her sharper than claws.

Kestrelpaw refused to complain, instead focusing on learning the landmarks of RockClan's territory all over again. She helped with collecting moss, rebuilding dens and restocking the freshkill pile. Border patrols and battle training kept her busy the rest of the day, leaving little time to grumble about the way the Clan talked behind her back.

The attentions of her Clanmates turned from her blind struggles three nights after the flood. Beetlestar, now perched atop the Fallen Tree's replacement, the Speaking Rock, told the Clan of the rogue's wish to join RockClan.

Up until then, the giant ginger tom had been more of a background figure, always lurking somewhere in the camp under either the careful supervision of Beartooth, Palethorn or a combination of other warriors. He had helped with some of the rebuilding efforts but no one truly noticed him until Beetlestar's announcement.

"Our guest has expressed a wish to join our Clan," he began diplomatically. Kestrelpaw, having recently returned from a border patrol, settled down beside her mentor to listen.

"Fire, as some of you may know, has been a valuable asset to us in the past days, helping us reclaim our camp after the flood as if he were already one of our own. Though the actions that led to his capture are regrettable, Fire acknowledges his wrong-doing in attacking one of our apprentices and battling with our warriors. He has seen the close bonds we share and the grief we feel when we lose a Clanmate."

Beetlestar paused and Kestrelpaw knew he was checking the reactions of the Clan. No one had spoken out, though the tortoiseshell felt Gentlefern shift beside her and Whitepaw slouch at the mention of grief. The white tom had taken Littlepaw's death more harshly than anyone in the Clan anticipated.

"If anyone believes this rogue should not join our Clan, or at least be allowed to stay with us until his path leads him elsewhere, come speak with me." From Beetlestar's tone of voice, Kestrelpaw could tell he'd already made up his mind. He jumped down from the Speaking Rock and a couple of cats moved to join him, whispering their concerns, but the rest of the Clan returned to their duties.

"Go get some freshkill," Gentlefern urged her apprentice. "You can have the rest of the day to rest."

Nodding, the tortoiseshell moved off to the relocated freshkill pile, excitement filling her at the prospect of having some free time. With the past days so busy, she'd had very little time to herself.

Lost in thought, Kestrelpaw let out a short, startled cry as she stumbled over a small stone. Landing with a thump, she took a moment to gather herself before rising to her paws in as dignified a way as she could, pelt burning underneath the curious gazes of Badgerclaw, Martenfur and Frostfur.

Feeling mouse-brained, she continued on her way, careful to step over the line of pebbles, which Brightkit and Skykit strung together the day after the flood, and around the Speaking Rock, which now served as the Clan's meeting place. With no Fallen Tree to serve as the leader's den, Beetlestar spent his nights in the warriors' den.

Finally arriving at the freshkill pile, Kestrelpaw nosed her way into it, picking up the fresh scents of lizard and mouse and the slightly duller ones of hare and wren. She decided on a large mouse and a smaller lizard. With the rest of the day off apprentice duties, she could visit Pebbleheart and share with him.

Freshkill swinging from her mouth, she began making her way back to the path. Around her, the Clan had resumed its everyday tasks; Beartooth shouted out evening patrols while Morningbreeze gathered up her hunting patrol of Starlingpaw, Dapplefur and Runningheart, who had resumed his Clan duties.

Busy listening to the voices of her Clanmates, Kestrelpaw nearly walked right into the giant tom standing in her path.

"Careful," he said quietly.

Her fur bristled as a flash of ginger passed over her vision and the startled apprentice nearly dropped her freshkill.

"Sorry, Fire," she murmured through the tails in her mouth, skirting around the rogue. Heart pumping, she moved away as quickly as she could, wondering if she was seeing things.

That one spot of ginger fur reminded her of another she'd seen not too long ago - that of Sun, the little kit Starlingpaw found. Her mind raced as she thought what this vision might mean.

Was the rogue going to die?

Then, she thought of the day the flood came. The way she'd watched Asterpaw have her seizure and tell Gentlefern and Leafpelt of the coming danger. Their figures had been clear in Kestrelpaw's vision, shrouded in darkness once more only when they were out of harm's way.

And, yet, Kestrelpaw had not glimpsed the forms of Redblaze, Thistleclaw or Littlepaw before leaving the camp. Why were the cats she had seen still alive while those she had not were dead?

She gulped as another thought came to her mind. She'd seen three cats, but a different three had died in the flood; were the deaths of the cats she saw in her visions preventable, as long as the price was paid by the lives of others? If she hadn't supported Asterpaw's claim and removed the patrol from harm's way, would those who died in the camp still be alive?

The little tortoiseshell shivered at the horrible idea. She felt guilty, suddenly, as if she was responsible for the deaths of Redblaze, Thistleclaw and Littlepaw.

The smell of lavender and chamomile that met her in the entrance of the medicine den helped to soothe her mind and calm her furiously beating heart. Kestrelpaw breathed it in and the tension left her muscles.

The scents of mint and juniper became more prominent as Pebbleheart poked his head out of the medicine storage, greeting the apprentice with a smack of his jaws. Kestrelpaw purred, hearing the tom's stomach growl, and tossed him the lizard. Pebbleheart accepted it gratefully, swallowing nearly all of it in three quick bites.

"How was your trip to Moon Cliffs?" Kestrelpaw asked before biting into her mouse.

"Well, StarClan accepted me as a full medicine cat, so I can't complain," he replied, licking his jaws. The tortoiseshell purred in amusement, glad to have her friend back.

Between his vigil and trip, Pebbleheart was tense and seemed anxious, as if worrying if StarClan would accept him. Both Kestrelpaw and Otterheart, along with many others in the Clan who noticed his nervousness, had assured him they would, but still the tom remained quiet and distant.

Now, he seemed different in Kestrelpaw's mind, but in a way that made him seem older, more mature and more like the full medicine cat he was. More confident and at ease, though still as organized and meticulous as ever.

"Do you have any duties to get back to?" Pebbleheart asked.

"Gentlefern gave me the day off," Kestrelpaw replied.

"Good, Otterheart and I need your help with something." Finishing off the remainder of her mouse, Kestrelpaw followed the tom.

He led her into the medicine storage, where it took the tortoiseshell a moment to pick out the scents of Otterheart and, to her surprise, Emberpaw.

"Why is Emberpaw still in the medicine den?" Kestrelpaw asked Pebbleheart, confused. "I thought the infection was gone now?"

"It was," said the tom vaguely.

Kestrelpaw narrowed her eyes in the tom's general direction. "Then why is she in the medicine den?" She could smell marigold and chervil, but didn't know what they were used for.

The silence of the medicine den was suddenly split by a shriek. The tortoiseshell's fur bristled at the sound, magnified by the confines of the cave.

"Don't bring that near me!" she heard Emberpaw hiss.

"But this is the only way your wounds will heal!" Otterheart growled back exasperatedly. Kestrelpaw heard her shuffle about the storage, picking up the herbs Emberpaw must have knocked out of her paws.

"And this is why we need your help," Pebbleheart continued. "We thought you, of all cats, might be able to talk to Emberpaw. She keeps telling us that the wounds will heal on their own, but if we don't treat them the infection will spread and she'll die."

Kestrelpaw flinched slightly at how blunt the tom's words were. He sounded frustrated, but also like he was on the brink of giving up.

"It's either that or we drug her with poppy seeds until the wounds heal completely," he added.

"I'll talk to her," the tortoiseshell replied with a purr.

Picking her way carefully through the stacks of herbs in the storage, Kestrelpaw thought about what she might say to Emberpaw. She didn't believe she was the most qualified cat to speak to the she-cat - Beetlestar, Beartooth or one of the queens would have been a much better choice - but Pebbleheart seemed to believe she could make Emberpaw listen.

Picking up a fallen marigold flower she stepped on, Kestrelpaw handed it to Otterheart, who gave a frustrated huff and turned to continue cleaning up the mess Emberpaw made.

"Kestrelpaw, how nice of you to join us," Emberpaw said dryly. The air around the large tortoiseshell almost sparked with tension.

"Emberpaw," Kestrelpaw replied, picking her words carefully. "I actually came to visit you because I thought you might need the support."

The older apprentice remained silent for a few moments. "I guess it's nice to have company. But I can do this on my own, without support and without herbs to heal me."

Behind Kestrelpaw, Otterheart muttered, "Warriors, always thinking they can do everything on their own."

The little tortoiseshell considered Emberpaw's words, wondering if it was her pride or independent nature standing in the way of accepting help from others. After some deliberation, she decided on both.

"The herbs don't do all of the healing for you," Kestrelpaw explained. "They're just... like the prey that keeps you going." Though she couldn't see Emberpaw's expression, the she-cat knew she'd confused the other apprentice.

"What I mean is, battle training is hard to do on an empty stomach, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, healing is hard to do without herbs. You need to put something in if you want to get something out."

"But prey and battle training are completely unrelated. Herbs are used for healing," Emberpaw pointed out.

"Then doesn't it make sense to use herbs when you're trying to heal?"

Emberpaw did not reply. Kestrelpaw could hear her gritting her teeth, but she didn't give her the time to think it over.

"I know it's hard to accept help," Kestrelpaw said quietly. "These past few days, stumbling around camp because I don't know where anything is, have been incredibly embarrassing and almost degrading."

"If they can't accept a blind cat - "

Kestrelpaw cut her off. "They can. That's what Clanmates are for - to help you when you can't do things on your own. What do you think medicine cats are for?"

The older she-cat said nothing, but Kestrelpaw knew she'd gotten her point across.

"Please, let them help you. I wouldn't want to lose you."

The words slipped out before the little tortoiseshell could stop them and she realized they were true. On the day of her apprentice ceremony, it had been Emberpaw to stand up for her and show her the way to the apprentice den; since then, she'd helped Kestrelpaw too many times for the she-cat to count. Just the idea of standing up to Whitepaw or Silverhawk without Emberpaw's support made the younger apprentice quake.

"You're right," Emberpaw sighed, though she still seemed hesitant.

"Thank StarClan," Kestrelpaw heard Otterheart murmur in an annoyed tone.

"But I don't want to stay in the medicine den," the tortoiseshell added in a steely voice.

"You can go back to the apprentice den," the medicine cat replied, already pushing past Kestrelpaw with herbs in her paws. "But only if you agree to rest."

Emberpaw's next words were cut off with a yowl as Otterheart pressed the pulp of marigold and chervil to her wounds. Her part done, Kestrelpaw removed herself and met Pebbleheart in the main medicine cave.

"Nicely done," he said, flicking his tail over her ear. The she-cat swatted at it, pinning it to the ground.

"I see your reflexes are getting better," Pebbleheart added, amused. "I told you so."

Kestrelpaw licked her chest fur modestly. "I've been practicing."

The two sat in silence for a moment, listening to Emberpaw's muffled growls and Otterheart's words of assurance. Kestrelpaw believed the medicine cat, even if Emberpaw didn't, that the herbs would help her heal more quickly. She wasn't in danger of dying, but that could change at any moment.

The idea of death brought back her earlier thoughts and the images of Asternose, Gentlefern and Leafpelt flashed across her mind, making the tortoiseshell shiver.

Pebbleheart noticed her sudden discomfort. "Is something wrong?"

"No," came her immediate answer. Though the images weighed heavily upon her conscience, she was afraid that if she told anyone, even Pebbleheart, she would be even more of a freak than she already was. And she didn't want to lose a friend, especially this one.

"I'm just cold," she added, hoping the tom would accept the lie. He did, padding over to her small body and laying his warm tail over her shoulders.

"Leafbare is coming," he said solemnly, staring out of the medicine den's entrance. "It's only a matter of time before greencough hits us."

A chill ran through the tortoiseshell at the words. _More death._


End file.
